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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STRiET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MS80 

(716)  S73-4S03 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/iCMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductione  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notev/Notes  techniques  et  bibiiographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibiiographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


D 


D 
D 


0 


D 


n 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommag^e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pellicul6e 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 


r~7]    Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 


along  interior  margin/ 

Lareiiure  serrie  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 

distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  ceia  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  fiim^es. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppidmentaires; 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplalre 
qu'!l  lui  a  M  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
poinit  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  methods  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquis  ci-dessous. 


□    Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

n   Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

n    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur6es  et/ou  pellicul6es 


v/ 


1/ 


D 


Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  ddcoiordes,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 


□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachdes 


Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^mentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partieilement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  filmdes  d  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  Uim6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

J 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


■^i»'' 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grAce  d  la 
ginirosltA  de: 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —^(meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  filmis  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmds  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniftre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  Ic 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  —^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film6s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichd,  il  est  filmd  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas.  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

JS'^I 


TEE 


OR£G 


innDB  1 


NARRATIVE 


or 


TEE  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION 


TO 


THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS 


IN  THE  YEAR  1342. 


AND  TO 


OREGON  AND  NORTH  CALIFORNIA 


IN  THE  YEARS  1843-44. 


BREVET  CAPTAIN  J.  C.  FREMONT^ 

OF  THE  TOFOORAPHICAL  ENGINEBM, 

mnOB  THE  ORDERS  OP  COL.  J.  i.  ABERT,  CHIEF  OP  THE  TOPOGRAPHICAL  BUREAU 


BBPRINTED  FROM  THE  OFFICIAL  (K>Flf. 


NEW    YOKIv: 
D.  APPLETON   &   CO.,   200   BROADWAY 

PHILADELPHIA 
G.  S.  APPLETON,  164  CHESNUT-STREET. 

M   DCCC  XI  !>'. 


m 


The  ii 

Pacific  oci 
fomia  on  t 
mingled  w 
minute  acq 
citizen. 

Severa 
geographic 
Oregon,  I 
in  1804,  d 
of  Messrs 
the  exami: 
the  movei 
Indians,  o: 
Major  Pik 
side  of  th 
intelligenc 
of  controY 

The  c 
lesearchei 
Missouri 
conceminj 

Darin 
tific  touris 
the  north( 
the  gover 
t&other  I 
tfforts. 


PREFATORY  NOTICR 


The  immense  region  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  extending  to  the 
Pacific  ocean,  and  bounded  by  the  Russian  frontier  n:\  the  north,  and  Cali- 
fornia on  the  south,  now  attracts  so  much  of  popular  regard,  and  is  com- 
mingled with  so  many  important  national  interests,  that  an  accurate  and 
minute  acquaintance  with  the  general  topic  i^  essential  to  every  American 
citizen. 

Several  exploring  tours  of  the  western  portion  of  our  continent,  within  the 
geographical  boundaries  of  the  wilds  now  commonly  known  by  the  title, 
Oregon,  have  taken  place  during  the  present  century.  President  Jefferson, 
in  1804,  directed  the  first  scrutiny  in  that  country  under  the  superintendence 
of  Messrs.  Lewis  and  Clarke,  who  devoted  the  larger  part  of  three  years  to 
the  examination  of  those  trackless  forests,  and  who  were  the  pioneers  of 
the  movements  which  arc  now  extending  the  limits  of  civilization,  where 
Indians,  or  deer,  bears,  or  buffaloes  only  roamed.  The  second  expedition  by 
Ifajor  Pike  to  survey  the  West,  forty  years  ago,  was  restricted  to  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  am'  consequently  communicated  little  direct 
intelligence  concerning  the  lands,  the  possession  of  which  is  now  the  subject 
of  controversy  between  the  United  States  and  Britain. 

The  other  subsequent  travellers  in  the  western  territory  confined  their 
researches  within  the  country  through  which  the  Upper  Mississippi  and 
Missouri  flow;  and  therefore  imparted  no  information  of  any  importance 
concerning  the  Oregon  lands,  rivers,  and  other  topics  of  public  interest. 

Daring  several  years,  however,  from  1833  to  1838,  Mr.  Nicollet,  a  scien 
lific  tourist,  explored  a  very  extensive  portion  of  the  western  country  beyond 
the  northern  branches  of  the  Mississippi.  At  the  close  of  his  amateur  travels, 
the  government  of  the  United  States  engaged  him  to  repeat  his  journey  in 
tnother  region;  and  Captain  Fremont  was  united  with  him  to  assist  his 
•ITorts.    After  an  absence  of  two  seasons,  they  returned  and  exhibited  tht 


PREFATORY  NOTICI 


result  of  their  discoveries  and  astronomical  observations  and  topographicil 
admeasurements  to  the  government  at  Washington. 

It  being  desirable  for  the  Federal  authorities  to  become  fully  acquainted 
with  the  state  of  the  territory  between  the  southern  geographical  boundary 
of  the  United  States  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  around  the  head-waters  of 
the  Missouri,  Captain  Fremont  was  appointed  to  superintend  that  exploring 
lour.  That  enterprising  and  scientific  traveller  is  now  absent  on  his  thiri 
expedition  to  enlarge  our  acquaintance  with  the  western  uninhabited  districts, 

The  ensuing  narratives  include  the  Reports  of  the  two  tours  which  have 
already  been  made  by  Captain  Fremont,  as  they  were  presented  to  the  Con 
gress  of  the  United  States,  and  originally  published  by  their  command;  ej> 
eluding  only  the  portions  which  are  altogether  astronomical,  scientific,  and 
philosophical,  and  therefore  not  adapted  for  general  utility.  Captain  Fremont 
states  that  the  whole  of  the  delineations  both  "  in  the  narrative  and  in  the 
maps,"  which  constitute  the  ofiUcial  publication,  are  "  the  result  of  positive 
observation."  From  a  survey  of  the  researches  thus  presented,  it  appears, 
that  the  entire  map  of  Oregon  has  been  amply  drawn  out,  so  far  as  at  present 
is  requisite  for  all  the  purposes  of  geographical  inquiry  and  national  arrange^ 
ment.  With  these  claims  on  public  attention,  and  the  deep  interest  which 
the  subject  itself  now  offers,  this  authentic  edition  of  Captain  Fremont'i 
extensive  and  protracted  researches  in  the  western  dominions  of  the  United 
States,  is  confidently  recommended  to  the  perusal  of  our  fellow-citizeiu. 
Nbw  York,  November  il.  ie«i. 


topographicil 

illy  acquainted 
lical  boundary 
lead-waters  of 
that  exploring 
t  on  his  thiri 
bited  districts, 
irs  which  have 
ed  to  the  Con 
command ;  ex. 
scientific,  and 
plain  Fremont 
ve  and  in  the 
ult  of  positive 
3d,  it  appears, 
r  as  at  present 
ional  arrange* 
interest  which 
iin  Fremont's 
of  the  United 
r-citizeiu. 


A  REPORT 


AN  EXPLORATION   OP  THE  COUNTRY 


fi       "ri 


'H> 


,1.    t  ' 


ITIRa  BITWIBH  TBI 

MISSOURI   RIVER   AND   THE    ROCKY   MOUNTAINS, 

OR  Tni  LiRi  or 
THE   KANSAS   AND   GREAT   PLATTE    RIVERS. 


Wasbikotom,  March  I,  1843. 
To  Colonel  J.  J.  Abxrt, 

Chief  of  the  Corps  of  Top.  Eng : 

SiK  :  Agreeably  to  your  orders  to  explore 
and  report  upon  the  country  between  the 
frontiers  of  Missouri  and  the  South  Pass  in 
the  Rocky  mountains,  and  on  the  line  of  the 
^nsas  and  Great  Platte  rivers,  I  set  out 
from  Washington  city  on  the  2d  day  of  May, 
1842,  and  arrived  at  St.  Louis,  by  way  of 
New  York,  the  22d  of  May,  where  the  ne- 
cessary  preparations  were  completed,  and  the 
expedition  commenced.  I  proceeded  in  a 
steamboat  to  Chouteau's  landing,  about  four 
hundred  miles  by  water  from  St.  Louis,  and 
lear  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river,  whence 
we  proceeded  twelve  miles  to  Mr.  Cyprian 
Chouteau's  trading  house,  where  we  com- 
pleted our  final  arrangements  for  the  expedi- 
tion. 

Bad  weather,  which  interfered  with  astro- 
nomical observations,  delayed  us  several 
days  in  the  early  part  of  June  at  this  post, 
which  is  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Kansas 
river,  about  ten  miles  above  the  mouth,  and 
six  beyond  the  western  boundary  of  Missouri. 
The  sky  cleared  off  at  length,  and  we  were 
enabled  to  determine  our  position,  in  longi- 
tude 94o  26'  46",  and  latitude  39"  6'  67". 
The  elevation  above  the  sea  is  about  700 
feet.  Our  camp,  in  the  n^eantime,  presented 
an  animated  and  bustling  scene.  All  were 
busily  occupied  in  completing  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  our  campaign  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  profiting  by  this  short  delay  on 
the  verge  of  civilisation,  to  provide  ourselves 
with  all  the  little  essentials  to  comfort  in  the 
nomadic  life  we  were  to  lead  for  the  ensuing 
summer  months.  Gradually,  however,  every- 
thing— the  meUeriel  of  the  camp,  men, 
horses,  and  even  mules — settled  into  its 
place,  and  by  the  10th  we  were  ready  to  de- 


part ;  but,  before  we  mount  our  horses,  I  wiU 
give  a  short  description  of  the  party  with 
which  I  performed  tnis  service. 

I  had  collected  in  the  neighborhood  of  St. 
Louis  twenty-one  men,  principally  Creole  and 
Canadian  voyageurs,  who  had  become  fami- 
liar with  prairie  life  in  the  service  of  the  fur 
companies  in  the  Indian  country.  Mr. 
Charles  Preuss,  a  native  of  Germany,  was 
my  assistant  in  the  topographical  part  of  the 
survey.  L.  Maxwell,  of  Kaskaskia,  had 
been  engaged  as  hunter,  and  Christopher 
Carson  (more  familiarly  known,  for  his  ex- 
ploits in  the  mountains,  as  Kit  Carson)  was 
our  guide.  The  persons  engaged  in  St. 
Louis  were : 

Clement  Lambert,  J.  B.  L'Esperance,  J. 
B.  Lefevre,  Benjamin  Polra,  Louis  Gouin, 
J.  B.  Dum^s,  Basil  Lajeunesse,  Franfois 
Tessier,  Benjamin  Cadotte,  Joseph  Clement, 
Daniel  Simonds,  Leonard  Benoit,  Michel 
Morly,  Baptiste  Bernier,  Honore  Ayot,  Fran- 
fois  Latulippe,  Franfois  Badeau,  Louis  M^ 
nard,  Joseph  Ruelle,  Moise  Chardonnais, 
Auguste  Janisse,  Raphael  Proue. 

In  addition  to  these,  Henry  Brant,  son  of 
Col.  J.  B.  Brant,  of  St.  Louis,  a  young  man 
of  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  Randolph,  a 
lively  boy  of  twelve,  son  of  the  Hon.  Thomas 
H.  Benton,  accompanied  me,  for  the  develop- 
ment of  mind  and  body  which  such  an  expe- 
dition would  give.  We  were  all  well  armed 
and  mounted,  with  the  exception  of  ei^ht 
men,  who  conducted  as  many  carts,  in  which 
were  packed  our  stores,  with  the  baggage 
and  instruments,  and  which  were  each  drawn 
by  two  mules.  A  few  loose  horses,  and  four 
oxen,  which  had  been  added  to  our  stock  of 
provisions,  completed  the  train.  We  set  out 
on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  which  happened 
to  be  Friday — a  circumstance  which  our  men 
did  not  fail  to  remember  and  recall  dariii|( 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


11841 


ii 


li 


the  hardships  and  vexations  of  the  ensuing 

fiJ^mey.  Mr.  Cyprian  Cheuteau,  to  whose 
ndness,  during  our  stay  at  his  house,  we 
were  much  indebted,  accompanied  us  several 
miles  on  our  way,  until  we  met  an  Indian, 
whom  lie  had  engaged  to  conduct  us  on  the 
first  thirty  or  forty  miles,  where  he  was  to 
consign  us  to  the  ocean  of  prairie,  which,  we 
were  told,  stretched  without  interruption  al- 
most to  the  base  of  the  Rock^  mountains. 

From  the  belt  of  wood  which  borders  the 
Kansas,  in  which  we  had  passed  several 
good-looking  Indian  farms,  we  suddenly 
emerged  on  the  prairies,  which  received  us 
at  the  outset  with  some  of  their  striking  cha- 
racteristics ;  for  here  and  there  rode  an  In- 
dian, and  but  a  few  miles  distant  heav^  clouds 
of  smoke  were  rolling  before  the  hre.  In 
about  ten  miles  we  reached  the  Santa  Fe 
road,  along  which  we  continued  for  a  short 
time,  and  encamped  early  on  a  small  stream ; 
.  having  travelled  about  eleven  miles.  Dur- 
ing our  journey,  it  was  the  customary  prac- 
tice to  encamp  an  hour  or  two  before  sunset, 
\vlieii  tiie  carts  were  disposed  so  as  to  form 
a  sort  of  barricade  around  a  circle  some 
eighty  yards  in  diameter.     The  tents  were 

{titched,  and  the  horses  hobbled  and  turned 
oose  to  graze ;  and  but  a  few  minutes 
elapsed  before  the  cooks  of  the  messes,  of 
which  there  were  four,  were  busily  engaged 
in  preparing  the  evening  meal.  At  night- 
fall, the  horses,  mules,  and  oxen,  were  driven 
in  and  picketed — that  is,  secured  by  a  halter, 
of  which  one  end  was  tied  to  a  small  steel- 
shod  picket,  and  driven  into  the  ground ;  the 
halter  being  twenty  or  thirty  feet  long,  which 
enabled  them  to  obtain  a  little  food  during 
the  night.  When  we  had  reached  a  part  of 
the  country  where  such  a  precaution  became 
necessary,  the  carts  being  regularly  arranged 
for  defending  the  camp,  guard  was  mounted 
at  eight  o'clock,  consisting  of  three  men, 
who  were  relieved  every  two  hours;  the 
morning  watch  being  horse  guard  for  the  day. 
At  daybreak,  the  camp  was  roused,  the  ani- 
mals turned  loose  to  graze,  and  breakfast 
generally  over  between  six  and  seven  o'clock, 
when  we  resumed  our  march,  making  regu- 
larly a  halt  at  noon  for  one  or  two  hours. 
Such  was  usually  the  order  of  the  day,  ex- 
cept when  accident  of  country  forced  a  varia- 
tion ;  which,  however,  happened  but  rarely. 
We  travelled  the  next  day  along  the  Santa 
F4road,  which  we  left  in  the  afternoon,  and 
encamped  late  in  the  evening  on  a  small 
creek,  called  by  the  Indians  Mishmagwi. 
Just  as  we  arrived  at  camp,  one  of  the  horses 
wt  off  at  full  speed  on  his  return,  and  was 
jfollowed  by  others.  Several  men  were  sent 
in  pursuit,  and  returned  with  the  fugitives 
about  midnight,  with  the  exception  of  one 
man,  who  did  not  make  his  appearance  until 
morning.    He  had  lost  his  way  in  the  dark- 


ness of  the  night,  and  slept  on  the  praiiii. 
Shortly  after  midnight  it  began  to  rain  hti 
vily,  and,  as  our  tents  were  of  light  and  thii 
cloth,  they  offered  but  little  obstruction  to 
rain ;  we  were  all  well  soaked,  and  glad  when 
morning  came.  We  had  a  rainy  march  on 
the  12th,  but  the  weather  grew  fine  as  th« 
day  advanced.  We  encamped  in  a  remarki. 
blv  beautiful  situation  on  ttie  Jiansas  blufi, 
which  commanded  a  fine  vie\>.'  of  the  river 
valley,  here  from  three  to  four  miles  wide, 
The  central  portion  was  occupied  by  a  broni 
belt  of  heavy  timber,  and  nearer  the  hills  the 
prairies  were  of  the  richest  verdure.  One 
of  the  oxen  was  killed  here  for  food. 

We  reached  the  ford  of  the  Kansas  late 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  14th,  where  the  rivet 
was  two  hundred  and  thirty  yards  wide,  and 
commenced  immediately  preparations  for 
crossing.  I  had  expected  to  find  the  river 
fordable ;  but  it  had  been  swollen  i)y  the  late 
rains,  and  was  sweeping  by  with  an  angn 
current,  yellow  and  turbid  as  the  Missouri. 
Up  to  this  point,  the  road  we  had  travelled 
was  a  remarkably  fine  one,  well  beaten,  and 
level — the  usual  road  of  a  prairie  country, 
By  our  route,  the  ford  was  one  hundred 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river, 
Several  mounted  men  led  the  way  into  the 
stream,  to  swim  across.  The  animals  wen 
driven  in  after  them,  and  in  a  few  minutee 
all  had  reached  the  opposite  bank  in  safety, 
with  the  exception  of  the  oxen,  which  swam 
some  distance  down  the  river,  and,  retumine 
to  the  right  bank,  were  not  got  over  until 
the  next  morning.  In  the  meantime,  the 
carts  had  been  unloaded  and  dismantled,  and 
an  India-rubber  boat,  which  I  had  brought 
with  me  for  the  survey  of  the  Platte  river, 
placed  in  the  water.  The  boat  was  twenty 
feet  long  and  five  broad,  and  on  it  were 
placed  the  body  and  wheels  of  a  cart,  with 
the  load  belonging  to  it,  and  three  men  witk 
paddles. 

The  velocity  of  the  current,  and  the  incon- 
venient freight,  rendering  it  difficult  to  U 
managed,  Basil  Lajeunesse,  one  of  our  best 
swimmers,  took  in  his  teeth  a  line  attached 
to  the  boat,  and  swam  ahead  in  order  to 
reach  a  footing  as  soon  as  possible,  and  a8> 
sist  in  drawing  her  over.  In  this  manner, 
six  pasijiiges  had  been  successfully  made, 
and  as  many  carts  with  their  contents,  and 
a  greater  portion  of  the  party,  deposited  on 
the  left  bank ;  but  night  was  drawing  near, 
and,  in  our  anxiety  to  have  all  over  before 
the  darkness  closed  in,  I  put  upon  the  boat 
the  remaining  two  carts,  with  their  accom- 
panying load.  The  man  at  the  helm  was 
timid  on  water,  and,  in  his  alarm,  capsized 
the  boat.  Carts,  barrels,  boxes,  and  bales, 
were  in  a  moment  floating  down  the  current; 
but  all  the  men  who  were  on  the  shore 
jumoed  into  the  water,  without  stopping  to 


iMi.] 

^k  H  they 
I^Dg— even 
ndlead— w 
Two  of  t 
eune  nigh  b 
belonging  U 
iwMU  on  tl 
viestloas  w 
lunsd  nearl 
leas  which  i 
ind  inhospit 
^n  afterw 
marching  hi 
weariness, 
ofveroar  loa 
Maxwell  ha 
tanlay,  and 
fll.  Thefo 
li  camp, 
vieited  us  tc 

roaps  who 
found  one 
eome  of  the 
iag  French 
little  emba 
party,  who 
On  all  sic 
nage  of  hi 
uing  well  v 
to  him  for  s 
cariositv  ar 
tently  thirty 
quiry,  I  lea 
when  a  be 
French  lanj 
women  I  ot 
ehange  for 
brought  ua 
beans,  and 
batter,  and 
I  had  the  g 
at  thirty  po 
ber  in  wni 
with  astron 
and  damag 
eon.  Accoi 
the  next  m 
o'clock,  w( 
river,  to  t 
twenty  fee 
grass  affoi 
horses. 

During 
making  as 
to  lay  dov 
being  our 
ku-lv  in  th 
with  man 
kept  busy 
the  cart  < 
our  equipa 
der  was  d 
some  hou 
now  &irh 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


on  the  praiif, 
>g«n  to  ram  h«i 
of  light  and  thii 
e  obstruction  to 
(d,  and  glad  when 
rainy  march  og 
Uew  fine  as  the 
eti  in  a  remarki. 
e  Jkansas  blufi, 
iev,'  of  the  river 
four  miles  wide. 
n|)ied  by  a  broiil 
Hicr  the  hills  the 

verdure.    One 
for  food, 
the  Kansas  late 
where  the  river  I 
yards  wide,  and 
)reparations   for 

0  find  the  river 
■ollen  by  the  late 

with  an  angry 
as  the  MiBsouri. 
'6  had  travelled 
well  beaten,  and 
prairie  country. 
18  one  hundred 
)  Kansas  river, 
le  way  into  the 
le  animals  wen 

a  few  minutee 
!  bank  in  safety, 
en,  which  swam 
r,  and,  returning 
t  got  over  until 

meantime,  the 
dismantled,  and 

1  had  brought 
lie  Platte  river, 
oat  was  twenty 
nd  on  it  were 
of  a  cart,  with 
three  men  witk 

t,  and  the  incon> 

difficult  to  U 
one  of  our  best 
El  line  attached 
id  in  order  to 
ossihie,  and  as- 
n  this  nianner, 
sessfully  made, 
'  contents,  and 
^  deposited  oo 

drawing  near, 
all  over  before 

upon  the  boat 
h  their  accom- 
the  helm  was 
ilarm,  capsized 
xes,  and  bales, 
vn  the  current; 

on  the  shore 
ut  stopping  to 


lUak  if  they  conld  swim,  and  almost  every* 
Iking— even  heavy  articlea,  auoh  aa  guna 
lad  lead — was  recovered. 

Two  of  the  men,  who  could  not  a  vim, 
etBM  nigh  being  drowned,  and  all  the  sugar 
belonging  to  one  of  the  messes  wasted  its 
iweeta  on  the  muddy  waters ;  but  our  hea- 
viest loss  was  a  bag  of  coffee,  which  con* 
lunad  nearly  all  our  provision.  It  was  a 
loss  which  none  but  a  traveller  in  a  strange 
lod  inhospitable  country  can  appreciate  ;  and 
«ften  afterward,  when  excessive  toil  and  Ions 
marching  had  overcome  us  witli  fatigue  and 
weariness,  we  remembered  and  mourned 
over  our  loss  in  the  Kansas.  Carson  and 
Maxwell  had  been  much  in  the  water  yes- 
terday, and  both,  in  consequence,  were  taken 
Dl.  The  former  continuing  so,  I  remained 
ii  camp.  A  number  of  Kansas  Indians 
fitited  ua  to-day.    Going  up  to  one  of  the 

roups  who  were  scattered  among  the  trees, 
found  one  sitting  on  the  ground,  among 
lome  of  the  men,  gravely  and  fluently  speak- 
iaff  French,  with  as  much  facility  and  as 
little  embarrassment  as  any  of  my  own 
party,  who  were  searly  all  of  French  origin. 

On  all  sides  was  heard  the  strange  Tan- 
kage of  his  own  people,  wild,  and  harmon- 
iting  well  with  their  appearance.  I  listened 
to  him  for  some  time  with  feelings  of  strange 
curiosity  and  interest.  He  was  now  appa- 
rently thirty-five  years  of  age ;  and,  on  in- 
quiry, I  learned  that  he  had  been  at  St.  Louis 
when  a  boy,  and  there  had  learned  the 
French  language.  From  one  of  the  Indian 
women  I  obtained  a  fine  cow  and  calf  in  ex- 
change for  a  yoke  of  oxen.  Several  of  them 
brought  us  vegetables,  pumpkins,  onions, 
beans,  and  lettuce.  One  of  them  brought 
batter,  and  from  a  half-breed  near  the  river 
I  had  the  good  fortune  to  obtain  some  twenty 
er  thirty  pounds  of  coffee.  The  dense  tim- 
ber in  which  we  had  encamped  interfered 
with  astronomical  observations,  and  our  wet 
end  damaged  stores  required  exposure  to  the 
eon.  Accordingly,  the  tents  were  struck  early 
the  next  morning,  and,  leaving  camp  at  six 
o'clock,  we  moved  about  seven  miles  up  the 
river,  to  a  handsome,  open  prairie,  some 
twenty  feet  above  the  water,  where  the  fine 
grass  afibrded  a  luxurious  repast  to  our 
horses. 

During  the  day  we  occupied  ourselves  in 
Baking  astronomical  observations,  in  order 
to  lay  down  the  country  to  this  place ;  it 
being  our  custom  to  keep  up  our  map  re?u- 
krly  in  the  field,  which  we  found  attended 
with  many  advantag;es.  The  men  were 
kept  busy  in  drying  the  provisions,  painting 
the  cart  covers,  and  otherwise  completing 
our  equipage,  until  the  afternoon,  when  pow- 
der was  distributed  to  them,  and  they  spent 
some  hours  in  firing  at  a  mark.  We  were 
now  fiurly  in  the  Indian  country,  and  it  be- 


gan to  be  time  to  prepare  for  the  ehaaoM  if 
the  wilderness. 

Friday,  June  17. — The  weather  yesterday 
had  not  permitted  us  to  make  the  obaerrti* 
tions  I  was  desirous  to  obtain  here,  and  I 
therefore  did  not  move  to-day.  The  people 
continued  their  target  firing.  In  the  steep 
bank  ->f  the  river  here,  were  nests  of  innif- 
merable  swallows,  into  one  of  which  a  lara 


prairie  snake  had  got  about  half  his  bodVi 
and  was  occupied  in  eating  the  young  binu. 
The  old  ones  were  flying  about  in  great  dis- 
tress, darting  at  him,  and  vainly  endeavorinff 
to  drive  him  off.  A  shot  wounded  him,  and, 
being  killed,  he  was  cut  open,  and  eighteen 
young  swallows  were  found  in  his  body.  A 
sudden  storm,  that  burst  upon  us  in  the  af- 
temoon,  cleared  away  in  a  brilliant  sunset, 
followed  hy  a  clear  ni^ht,  which  enabled  ni 
to  determine  our  position  in  longitude  96^ 
38'  06",  and  in  latitude  39°  06'  40" 

A  party  of  emigrants  to  the  Columbia 
river,  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  White,  an 
agent  of  the  Government  in  Oregon  Terri- 
tory, were  about  three  weeks  in  advance  of 
us.  They  consisted  of  men,  women,  and 
children.  There  were  sixty-four  men,  and 
sixteen  or  seventeen  families.  They  had  a 
considerable  number  of  cattle,  and  were 
transporting  their  household  furniture  in 
large  heavy  wagons.  I  understood  that  there 
had  been  much  sickness  among  them,  and 
that  they  had  lost  several  children.  One  of 
the  party  who  had  lost  his  child,  and  whose 
wife  was  very  ill,  had  left  them  about  one 
hundred  miles  hence  on  the  prairies ;  and  as 
a  hunter,  who  had  accompanied  them,  visited 
our  camp  this  evening,  we  availed  ourselves 
of  his  return  to  the  States  to  write  to  oar 
friends. 

The  morning  of  the  18th  was  very  unplea- 
sant. A  fine  rain  was  falling,  with  cold 
wind  from  the  north,  and  mists  made  the 
river  hills  look  dark  and  gloomy.  We  leil 
our  camp  at  seven,  journeying  along  the  foot 
of  the  hills  which  border  the  Kansas  valley, 
generally  about  three  miles  wide,  and  ex- 
tremely rich.  We  halted  for  dinner,  after  a 
march  of  about  thirteen  miles,  on  the  banks 
of  one  of  the  many  little  tributaries  to  the 
Kansas,  which  look  like  trenchos  in  the 
prairie,  and  are  usually  well  timbered.  Af- 
ter crossing  this  stream,  I  rode  off  some 
miles  to  the  left,  attracted  by  the  appearance 
of  a  cluster  of  huts  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Vermillion.  It  was  a  large  but  deserted  Kan- 
sas village,  scattered  in  an  open  wood,  along 
the  margin  of  the  stream,  on  a  spot  chosen 
with  the  customary  Indian  fondness  for  beau^ 
of  scenery.  The  Pawnees  had  attacked  it 
in  the  early  spring.  Some  of  the  houses 
were  burnt,  and  others  blackened  with 
smoke,  and  weeds  were  already  getting  pos- 
session of  the  cleared  places.    Ridi^  vp 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


liiH 


tiM  Vermillion  rirrr,  I  reached  the  ford  ^ 
time  to  meet  the  cartit  and,  crouing,  en- 
camped on  it*  western  side.  The  weather 
continued  cool,  the  thermometer  being  this 
evening  aa  low  aa  49° ;  but  the  night  was 
■ofBcientlv  clear  for  astronomical  obserra- 
tions,  which  placed  us  in  longitude  96*  04' 
07",  and  latitude  39°  1ft'  19^  At  sunset, 
the  barometer  was  at  28.84S,  thermometer 
«4» 

We  breakfasted  the  next  morning  at  half 
past  five,  and  left  our  encampment  early. 
The  morning  was  cool,  the  thermometer 
being  at  4fi^.  Quitting  the  river  bottom, 
the  road  ran  along  the  uplands,  over  a  rolU 
ing  country,  generally  in  view  of  the  Kan- 
sas from  eiffht  to  twelve  miles  distant. 
Many  largo  l)oulder8,  of  a  very  compact 
sandstone,  of  various  shades  of  red,  some  of 
tliem  four  or  five  tons  in  weight,  were  scat- 
tered along  the  hills ;  nnd  many  beautiful 
plants  in  flower,  among  which  the  amorpha 
canescens  was  a  characteristic,  enlivened  the 
prr'^pn  of  the  prairie.  At  the  heads  of  the 
ravines  I  remarked,  occasionally,  thickets 
of  salix  longifolia,  the  most  common  willow 
of  the  country.  We  travelled  nineteen 
miles,  and  pitched  our  tents  at  evening  on 
the  head  waters  of  a  small  creek,  now  nearly 
dry,  but  having  in  its  bed  several  fine  springs. 
The  barometer  indicated  a  considerable  rise 
in  the  country — here  about  fourteen  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea — and  the  increased  eleva- 
tion appeared  already  to  have  some  slight 
influence  upon  the  vegetation.  The  night 
was  cold,  with  a  heavy  dew  ;  the  thermome- 
ter at  10  p.  m.  standing  at  46°,  barometer 
S8.483.  Our  position  was  in  longitude  96° 
14'  49",  and  latitude  39°  30'  40". 

The  morning  of  the  20th  was  fine,  with  a 
southerly  breeze  and  a  bright  sky ;  and  at 
seven  o'clock  we  were  on  the  march.  The 
country  to-day  was  rather  more  broken,  ris- 
iog  still,  and  covered  everywhere  with  frag- 
ments of  siliceous  limestone,  particularly  on 
Uie  summits,  where  they  were  small,  and 
thickly  strewed  as  pebbles  on  the  shore  of 
the  sea.  In  these  exposed  situations  grew 
but  few  plants ;  though,  whenever  the  soil 
was  good  and  protected  from  the  winds,  in 
the  creek  bottoms  and  ravines,  and  on  the 
slopes,  they  flourished  abundantly;  among 
them  the  amorpha,  still  retaining  its  charac- 
teristic place.  We  crossed  at  10  a.  m.,  the 
Big  Vermillion,  which  has  a  ricli  bottom  of 
about  one  mile  in  breadth,  one-third  of  which 
is  occupied  by  timber.  Making  our  usual 
halt  at  noon,  after  a  day's  march  of  twenty- 
four  miles,  we  reached  the  Big  Blue,  and 
mcamped  on  the  uplands  of  the  western 
side,  near  a  small  creek,  where  was  a  fine 
krge  spring  of  very  cold  water.  This  is  a 
dmr  tad  handsome  stream,  about  one  hun- 
dnd  ud  twenty  feet  wide,  running,  with  a 


rapid  current,  through  a  well-timbered  n\ 
ley.  To-<iay  antelope  were  seen  runnh^ 
over  the  hills,  and  at  evening  Carson  brooghl 
us  a  fine  deer.  Longitude  of  the  camp  m" 
33'  85",  latitude  89"  4S'  08."  Thermom». 
ter  at  sunset  75".  A  pleasant  aontherl; 
breeze  and  fine  morning  nad  given  place  to 
a  gale,  with  indications  of  oad  weather; 
when,  after  a  march  of  ten  miles,  we  halted 
to  noon  on  a  small  creek,  where  the  water 
stood  in  deep  pools.  In  the  bank  of  the 
creek  limestone  made  its  appearance  in  a 
stratum  about  one  foot  thi6k.  In  the  after 
noon,  the  people  seemed  to  suffer  for  want 
of  water.  The  road  led  along  a  high  dry 
ridge ;  dark  lines  of  timber  Indicated  the 
heads  of  streams  in  the  plains  below ;  but 
there  was  no  water  near,  and  the  day  was 
very  oppressive,  with  a  hot  wind,  and  the 
thermometer  at  90".  Along  our  route  the 
amorpha  has  been  in  very  abundant  but  va- 
riable bloom — in  some  places  bending  be- 
neath the  weight  of  purple  clusters  ;  in  oth- 
ers without  a  flower.  It  seems  to  love  best 
the  sunny  slopes,  with  a  dark  soil  and  south- 
ern exposure.  Everywhere  the  rose  is  met 
with,  and  reminds  us  of  cultivated  gardens 
and  civilisation.  It  is  scattered  over  the 
prairies  in  small  bouquets,  and,  when  clitter- 
ing  in  the  dews  and  waving  in  the  peasant 
breeze  of  the  early  morning,  is  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  prairie  flowers.  The  arte- 
misia,  absinthe,  or  prairie  sage,  as  it  is  va- 
riously called,  is  increasing  in  size,  and  glit- 
ters like  silver,  as  the  southern  breeze  tuma 
up  its  leaves  to  the  sun.  All  these  planti 
have  their  insect  inhabitants,  variously  color- 
ed ;  taking  generally  the  hue  of  the  flower 
on  which  they  live.  The  ariemisia  has  its 
small  fly  accompanying  it  through  every 
change  of  elevation  and  latitude ;  and  wher* 
ever!  have  seen  the  asclepias  tuberosa,  I 
have  always  remarked,  too,  on  the  flower  a 
large  butterfly,  so  nearly  resembling  it  in 
color  as  to  be  distinguishable  at  a  little  dis- 
tance only  bv  the  motion  of  its  wings.  Tra- 
velling on,  the  fresh  traces  of  the  Oregon 
emigrants  relieve  a  little  the  loneliness  of 
the  road;  and  to-night,  after  a  march  of 
twenty-two  miles,  we  halted  on  a  small 
creek,  which  had  been  one  of  their  encamp- 
ments. As  we  advance  westward,  the  soil 
appears  to  be  getting  more  sandy,  and  the 
surface  rock,  an  erratic  deposite  of  sand  and 
gravel,  rests  here  on  a  bed  of  coarse  yellow 
and  grey  and  very  friable  sandstone.  Even- 
ing closed  over  with  rain  and  its  usual  at- 
tendant hordes  of  musquitoes,  with  which 
we  were  annoyed  for  the  first  time. 

June  22. — We  enjoyed  at  breakfast  this 
morning  a  luxury,  very  unusual  in  this 
country,  in  a  cup  of  excellent  coffee,  with 
cream  from  our  cow.  Being  milked  at 
night,  cream  was  thus  had  in  the  momiilf  . 


1S49.] 


11*11 

Il-timbered  nl 
Heen  runnhto 
Canon  broagbl 
'  the  camp  96* 
Thermoin*- 
isant  sonthcrly 
given  place  to 
oad  weather; 
liles,  we  halted 
here  the  water 
e  bank  of  the 
)pearance  in  t 
In  the  after 
suffer  for  want 
na  a  high  dry 
Indicated  the 
ns  below ;  but 
d  the  day  was 
wind,  and  the 
onr  route  the 
lundant  but  va- 
'rt  bending  be- 
usters ;  in  oth- 
ns  to  love  boet 
soil  and  Bouth- 
the  rose  in  met 
ivated  gardens 
tered  over  the 
I,  when  glitter- 
n  the  peasant 
:>  is  the  most 
rs.    The  arte- 
[e,  as  it  is  va- 
I  size,  and  ght- 
n  breeze  tumi 
1  these  plant! 
ariously  color- 
of  the  flower 
letnisia  has  its 
through  every 
ie ;  and  wheN 
las  tuberosa,  I 
1  the  flower  a 
embling  it  in 
at  a  little  dis- 
wings.    Tra- 
f  the  Oregon 
lonelinen  of 
'  a  march  of 
I  on  a  email 
their  encamp- 
kvard,  the  soil 
andv,  and  the 
:e  of  sand  and 
r.oarse  yellow 
itone.    Even* 
its  usual  at- 
,  with  which 
:ime. 

weakfast  thii 
iBual  in  this 
I:  cofBee,  vrith 
g  milked  at 
themoraiog. 


IMS.] 


CAl'T.  FREMONT'S  NARlLVlIvi:. 


Our  nrd-day  Imlt  was  at  Wycth'a  crcok,  in  i 
(he  bed  of  which  were  nurnerniiH  hniiUlcrH 
nf  dark  forrnginouH  xundstnno,  miiiirlcd  with 
others  of  the  red  uniuiwtoiie  iilrodily  men- 
tioned.    More  a  pack  of  cards,  Iyin{{  loa-c  j 
on  the  grass,  marked  an  oiicampinfiit  of  our  j 
Oregon  ciiiigrantn  ;  and  it  wa-^  at  tlip  clo.so 
of  the  day  when  we  made  our  bivouac  in  the 
midst  of  Home  well-timbered  ravines  near  the  | 
Little   Mine,   twenty-four    tnilos    from   our  : 
camp  of  the  precedini(  nipht.     Crossing  tlio 
next  morning  a  number  of  handsome  crcek^,  ^ 
with  clear  water  and  sandy  bods,  wo  reached, 
at  10  a.  m,,  a  very  beautiful  wiwded  stream,  ! 
about  thirty-five   feet   wide,   called    Sandy  | 
ereek,  and  sometimes,  oa  the  (Jttnos   fre- 
quently winter  there,  the  Otto  fork.     The  j 
country  has  become  very  sandy,  and   the  | 
pknts  less  varied  and  abundant,  with  the  ' 
exception  of  the  amorpha,  which  rivals  the  ' 
rrasa  in  quantity,  though  not  so  forwun!  as 
It  has  been  found  to  the  eastward. 

At  the  Big  Trees,  where  we  had  intended 
to  noon,  no  water  was  to  be  found.  The  !>•  d 
of  the  little  creek  was  perfectly  dry,  and,  o.i 
(he  adjacent  sandy  bottom,  cadi,  for  the  tirst 
time,  made  their  appearance.  We  made 
lere  a  short  delay  in  search  of  water ;  and, 
after  a  hard  day's  march  of  twenty-eight 
milea,  encamped,  at  6  o'clock,  on  the  Little 
Blue,  where  our  arrival  made  a  scene  of  the 
Arabian  desert.  As  fast  as  they  arrived,  men 
and  horses  rushed  into  the  stream,  where 
they  bathed  and  drank  together  in  common 
enjoyment.  We  were  now  in  the  range  of 
the  Pawnees,  who  were  accustomed  to  nifest 
this  part  of  the  country,  stealing  horses  from 
companies  on  their  way  to  the  mountains, 
aud,  when  in  sufficient  force,  opeidy  attack- 
ing and  plundering  them,  and  subjecting 
diem  to  various  kmds  of  insult.  For  the 
Srst  time,  therefore,  guard  was  mounted  to- 
night. Our  r(*ute  the  next  morning  lay  up 
the  valley,  which,  bordered  by  hills  with 
graceful  slopes,  looked  uncommonly  green 
and  beautiful.  The  stream  was  about  fifty 
feet  wide,  and  three  or  four  deep,  fringed  by 
cotton  wood  and  willow,  with  frequent  groves 
of  oak  tenanted  by  flocks  of  turkeys.  Game 
here,  too,  made  its  appearance  in  greater 
plenty.  Elk  were  frequently  seen  on  the 
lulls,  and  now  and  then  an  antelope  bounded 
across  our  path,  or  a  deer  broke  from  the 
groves.  The  road  in  the  afternoon  was  over 
the  upper  prairies,  several  miles  from  the 
river,  and  we  encamped  at  sunset  on  one  of 
its  small  tributaries,  where  an  abundance  of 
prdle  (e^isetum)  afibrded  flne  forage  to  our 
tired  animals.  We  had  travelled  mirty-one 
miles.  A  heavy  bank  of  black  clouds  in  the 
west  came  on  us  in  a  storm  between  nine 
and  ten,  preceded  by  a  violent  wind.  The 
rain  fell  m  such  torrents  that  it  was  difficult 
to  breathe  facing  the  wind,  the  thunder  rolled 


incessantly,  nnd  the  whole  sky  was  trtnu* 
Ions  witli  li^htninu|;  now  antf  then  lllumin- 
ateil  by  a  b'indinj^  flash,  succeeded  by  pitchy 
dirkncHH.     Carfon  bad  the  watch  from  ten 
to  ini(liii(;lit,  and  to  liini  bad  boon  assigned 
our  yoinig  tDiniuifiiions  <lr  mtjinjr,   Messrs. 
nriuit  autlR.  Bentou.     This  wan  liieir  first 
niglit  on  iruard,  and  such  an  intriHluctiondid 
not  augur  very  auspiciously  of  the  pleuKiueH 
of  the  expedition.     Many  tbin}(s  conspired  to 
render  their  situation  uncomfortable ;  stories 
of  desperate  and  bloody  Indian  lights  wero 
rife  in  the  camp;   our  |X)sition  was  badly 
chosen,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  timbered 
hollows,  and  occupying  an  area  of  several 
hundred  feet,  so  that  necessarily  the  guards 
wore  far  apart ;  and  now  and  then  I  could 
hear  Randolph,  as  if  relieved  by  the  sound 
of  a  "oice  in  the  dai  kuoss,  calling  out  to  tlie 
sergeant  of  the  guard,  to  diroct  Ins  attention 
to  some  imaginary  alarm  ;  but  they  stood  it 
out,  and   tmik   their    turn   regii'arly  after- 
ward. 
I      Tiie  next  inorniuj,'  we  bad  a  specimen  of 
'  the  false  alarms  to  which  all  partiOi<  in  these 
'vild   regions  ore  s^ubject.      Pioceeiling  up 
j  tl.c  valley,  objects  were   seen  on  the  oppo- 
i  site  lulls,  which  di.-^nppcared  before  a  glass 
!  could  be  l)rouglit  to  bear  upon   tbem.     A 
I  man,  who  was  a  short  distance  in  the  rear, 
''  came  (^purring  up  in  jrreat  haste,  shouting 
!  Indians !    Indians  !       He    had    been    near 
I  enough  to  see  and  count  them,  according  to 
bis  report,  and  had  made  out  twenty-seven. 
I  immtMliatoly  baited ;  anus  were  examined 
I  and  put  in  order ;    the   usual  preparations 
I  made ;  and  Kit  Carson,  springing  upon  one 
of  the  hunting  horses,  cros.sed  the  river,  and 
I  galloped  off'  into  the  opposite  prairies,  to  ob- 
tain some  certain  intelligence  of  their  move- 
ments. 

Mounted  on  a  fine  horse,  without  a  saddle, 
and  scouring  bareheaded  over  the  prairies. 
Kit  was  one  of  the  finest  pictures  of  a  hone- 
man  I  have  ever  seen.  A  short  time  ena- 
bled him  to  discover  that  the  Indian  war 
party  of  twenty-seven,  consisted  of  six  elk, 
who  had  been  gazing  curiously  at  our  cara- 
van as  it  passed  by,  and  were  now  scamper- 
ing off  at  full  speed.  This  was  our  first 
alarm,  and  its  excitement  broke  agreeably 
on  the  monotony  of  the  day.  At  our  noon 
halt,  the  men  were  exercised  at  a  target ; 
and  in  the  evening  we  pitched  our  tents  at  a 
Pawnee  encampment  of  last  July.  They 
had  apparently  killed  buQkio  here,  as  many 
bones  were  lying  about,  and  tlie  frames 
where  the  hides  had  been  stretched  were  yet 
standing.  The  road  of  the  da^  had  kept 
the  valley,  which  is  sometimes  rich  and  waU 
timbered,  though  the  country  is  generally 
sandv.  Mingled  with  the  usual  pluti,  • 
thistle  (carduus  leuc^raphus)  had  for  th« 
last  day  or  two  made  its  appeanmet 


I 


CAi'T.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


tiStf. 


:  j 


•long  the  river  bottom,  tradeseantta  (yirginU 
to)  and  milk  pitnt  (asclepias  syriaea*j  in 
eonaiderable  quantities. 

Our  march  to-day  had  been  twenty-one 
BiUes,  and  the  astronomical  observations 
gave  ua  a  chronometric  longitude  of  98°  22' 
12",  and  latitude  40°  26'  60".  We  were 
moving  forward  at  seven  in  the  morning,  and 
in  about  five  miles  reached  a  fork  of  the 
Blue,  where  the  road  leaves  that  river,  and 
crosses  over  to  the  Platte.  No  water  was  to 
be  found  on  the  dividing  ridge,  and  the  casks 
were  filled,  and  the  animals  here  allowed  a 
short  repose.  The  road  led  across  a  high 
and  level  prairie  ridge,  where  were  but  few 
plants,  and  those  principally  thistle  (carduus 
leucigraphus),  and  a  kmd  of  dwarf  artemi- 
sia.  Antelope  were  seen  frequently  during 
the  morning,  which  was  very  stormy. 
Squalls  of  rain,  with  thunder  and  lightning, 
were  around  us  in  e'-ery  direction  ;  and 
while  we  were  enveloped  m  one  of  them,  a 
flash,  which  seemed  to  scorch  our  eyes  as  it 
pass<^d,  struck  in  the  prairie  within  a  few 
hundred  feet,  sending  up  a  column  of  dust. 

Crossing  on  the  way  several  Pawnee 
roads  to  the  Arkansas,  we  reached,  in  about 
twenty-one  miles  from  our  halt  on  the  Blue, 
what  is  called  the  coast  of  the  Nebraska,  or 
Platte  river.  This  had  seemed  in  the  dis- 
tance a  range  of  high  and  broken  hills ;  but 
on  a  nearer  approach  were  found  to  be  ele- 
vations of  forty  to  sixty  feet,  into  which  the 
wind  had  worked  the  sand.  They  were  co- 
vered with  the  usual  fine  grasses  of  the 
country,  and  bordered  the  eastern  side  of 
the  ridge  on  a  breadth  of  about  two  miles. 
Change  of  soil  and  country  appeared  here 
to  have  produced  some  change  m  the  vege- 
tation. Cacti  were  numerous,  and  all  the 
plants  of  the  region  appeared  to  flourish 
among  the  warm  hills.  Among  them  the 
amorpha,  in  full  bloom,  was  remarkable  for 
its  large  and  luxuriant  purple  clusters. 
From  the  foot  of  the  coast,  a  distance  of  two 
miles  across  the  level  bottom  brought  us  to 
onr  encampment  on  the  shore  of  tne  river, 
about  twenty  miles  below  the  head  of  Grand 
Island,  which  lay  extended  before  us,  cover- 
ed with  dense  and  heavy  woods.  From  the 
month  of  the  Kansas,  according  to  our  reck- 
oning, we  had  travelled  three  nundred  and 
twenty-eight  miles ;  and  the  geological  form- 
ation of  the  country  we  had  passed  over 


*  "This  plant  is  very  odorirerous,  and  in  Canada 
tharma  the  traveller,  e^prcinlly  when  passing  through 
woods  in  the  evening.  The  French  there  cat  the  tender 
■hoots  in  the  Bpring,  as  we  do  aspnracua.  The  natives 
make  a  sugar  of  the  flowers,  gathering  them  iu  tho 
morning  when  they  are  covered  with  dew,  and  collect 
the  cotton  from  their  pods  to  All  tlieir  beds.  Un  account 
of  the  silkincb's  of  this  cotton,  Parkinson  calls  the  plant 
Virginian  silk." — Loudon's  Encyclojiadia  of  Plants. 

The  Sioux  Indians  of  the  Upper  Platte  eat  the  young 
poda  of  this  plant,  boiling  them  with  the  meat  of  the 


consisted  of  lime  and  sandstone,  covered  b* 
the  same  erratic  deposite  of  sand  and  grani 
which  forms  the  surface  rock  of  the  prairin 
between  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  riven, 
Except  in  some  occasional  limestone  bouU. 
era,  I  had  met  with  no  fossils.  The  elevi- 
tion  of  the  Platte  valley  above  the  sea  ii 
here  about  two  thousand  feet.  The  astro- 
nomical observations  of  the  night  placed  u 
in  longitude  98"  46'  49",  latitude  40o4r 
06". 

June  27. — The  animals  were  somewhit 
fatigued  by  their  march  of  yesterday,  and, 
after  a  short  journey  of  eighteen  miles  along 
the  river  bottom,  I  encamped  near  the  beu 
of  Grand  Island,  in  longitude,  by  observa- 
tion, 99«»  05'  24',  latitude  40o  39'  32". 
The  soil  here  was  light  but  rich,  though  in 
some  places  rather  sandy ;  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  scattered  fringe  along  the  bank, 
the  timber,  consisting  principally  of  poplar 
(populus  monilifera),  elm,  and  hackberry 
(celtis  crassifolia),  is  confined  almost  entirely 
to  the  islands. 

June  28. — We  halted  to  noon  at  an  open 
reach  of  the  river,  which  occupies  rather 
more  than  a  fourth  of  the  valley,  here  only 
about  four  miles  broad.     The  camp  had  been 
disposed    with    the   usual   precaution,    the 
horses  grazing  at  a  little  distance,  attended 
by  the  guard,  and  we  were  all  sitting  quietly 
at  our  dinner  on  the  grass,  when  suddenly 
we  heard  the  startling  cry  '*  du  monde .'"    In 
an  instant,  every  man's  weapon  was  in  his 
hand,  the  horses  were  driven  in,  hobbled  and 
picketed,  and  horsemen  were  galloping  at 
full  speed  in  the  direction  of  the  new  comen, 
screaming  and  yelling  with  the  wildest  ex- 
citement.    "  Get  ready,  my  lads !  "  said  th« 
leader  of  the  approaching  party  to  his  men, 
when  our  wild-looking  horsemen  were  dift- 
covered  bearing  down  upon  them ;   "  noui 
allons  attraper  des  coups  de  hagueite."    They 
proved  to  be  a  small  party  of  fourteen,  under 
the  charge  of  a  man  named  John  Lee,  and, 
with  their  baggage  and  provisions  strapped 
to  their  backs,  were  making  their  way  on 
foot  to  the  frontier.     A  brief  account  of  their 
fortunes  will  give  some  idea  of  navigation  in 
the  Nebraska.    Sixty  days  since,  they  had 
left  the  mouth  of  Laramie's  fork,  some  three 
hundred  miles  above,  in  barges  laden  with 
the  furs  of  the  American  Fur  Company. 
They   started  with  the  annual  flood,  and, 
drawing  but  nine  inches  water,  hoped  to 
make  a  speedy  and  prosperous  voyage  to  St. 
Louis ;  but,  after  a  lapse  of  forty  days,  found 
themselves  only  one    hundred   and   thirty 
miles  from  their  point  of  departure.     They 
came  down  rapidly  as  far  as  Scott's  bluffs, 
where  their  difficulties  began.     Sometime! 
they  came  upon  places  where  the  water  was 
spread  over  a  great  extent,  and  here  they 
toiled  from  morning  until  night,  endeavoring 


1841] 

(0  drag  their 
only  two  or 
gometimes  tl 
river,  where 
and,  after  de 
or  ten  miles, 
gands,  and  b 
their  boat  foi 
and  at  others 
^e  water  la 
float  off  thei 
to  their  necli 
over  against 
length,  and  1 
day  more  sh 
cipal  part  of 
thirty  miles 
secured  as  \ 
few  men  to 
tinue  their 
furs  and  the 
teen  or  twei 
sands,  durin 
dred  and  foi 
made  a  cac 
property,  in 
on  his  back 
wrnmenced 
them,  their 
We  laug 
abond  apped 
or  two  afteij 
sion  for  me 
stock  of  to'j 
ag^eur,  with( 
was    entire 
shortened  t 
supply  fron 
us  the  welc 
were  abunc 
vance,  and 
pieces,  whi 
from  our  i 
news,  and 
ships,  we 
hour ;   the 
they  shoul 
hands   am 
found   an 
prairie,  a  1 
i)f  the  mc 
hacked  an 
Napoleon' 
the   sobrii 
name  I  n( 
going  to  1 
ny  was  b( 
was  rathe 
1  took   h 
travelled 
At  our 
figures  w 
our  glasE 
proved  t< 


[1841 

one,  covered  h 
sand  and  grifd 
c  of  the  praitiai 
ississippi  riven, 
mestone  bould- 
Is.  Theelen- 
ove  the  sea  ii 
et.  The  astro- 
night  placed  m 
atitude  403  4]' 

were  somewhat 
yesterday,  and, 
Ben  miles  along 

near  the  heu 
e,  by  observi. 

40°  39'  32". 
■ich,  though  in 
id,  with  the  ex- 
ilong  the  bank, 
Jally  of  poplar 
and  hackberry 
almost  entirely 

3on  at  an  opcD 
ccupies  rather 
ley,  here  only 
camp  had  been 
recaution,    the 
ance,  attended 
1  sitting  quietly 
vhen  suddenly 
u  monde  /"    In 
pon  was  in  his 
in,  hobbled  and 
e  galloping  at 
le  new  comers, 
iie  wildest  ex- 
ds !  "  said  the 
rty  to  his  men, 
nen  were  di»- 
them;   "rum 
uette."    They 
)urteen,  under 
ohn  Lee,  and, 
iions  strapped 
their  way  on 
;count  of  their 
navii -ation  in 
nee,  they  had 
k,  some  three 
Js  laden  with 
ur  Company, 
il  ilood,  and, 
er,  hoped  to 
voyage  to  St. 
y  days,  found 
I   and   thirty 
rture-    They 
Jcott's  bluffs, 
Sometimea 
tie  water  was 
id  here  they 
endeAvoriog 


1841] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


to  drag  their  boat  through  the  sands,  making 
only  two  or  three  miles  in  as  many  days- 
gometimes  they  would  enter  an  arm  of  the 
river,  wliere  there  appeared  a  fine  channel, 
and,  after  descending  prosperously  for  eight 
or  ten  miles,  would  come  suddenly  upon  dry 
gands,  and  be  compelled  to  return,  dragging 
their  boat  for  days  against  the  rapid  current ; 
and  at  others,  they  came  upon  places  where 
die  water  lay  in  holes,  and,  getting  out  to 
goat  off  their  boat,  would  fall  into  water  up 
to  their  necks,  and  the  next  moment  tumble 
orer  against  a  sandbai  Discouraged,  at 
length,  and  finding  the  Platte  growing  every 
day  more  shallow,  tiiey  discharged  the  prin- 
cipal part  of  their  cargoes  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  below  Fort  Laramie,  which  they 
secured  as  well  as  possible,  and,  leaving  a 
kv  men  to  guard  them,  attempted  to  con- 
tinue their  voyage,  laden  with  some  light 
furs  and  their  personal  baggage-  After  fif- 
teen or  twenty  days  more  struggling  in  tiie 
sands,  during  which  they  made  but  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles,  they  sunk  their  barj:os, 
made  a  cache  of  their  remaining  furs  and 
property,  in  trees  on  the  bank,  and,  packing 
on  his  back  what  each  man  could  carry,  had 
curnmenced,  the  day  before  we  encountered 
them,  their  journey  on  foot  to  St.  Louis. 

We  laughed  then  at  their  forlorn  and  vag- 
abond appearance,  and,  in  our  turn,  a  month 
or  two  afterwards,  furnished  the  same  occa- 
sion for  merriment  to  others.  Even  their 
stock  of  tobacco,  that  sine  qud  non  of  a  voy- 
ageur,  without  which  the  night  fire  is  gloomy, 
was  entirely  exhausted-  However,  we 
shortened  their  homeward  journey  by  a  small 
supply  from  our  own  provision.  They  gave 
us  the  welcome  intelligence  that  the  buffalo 
were  abundant  some  two  days'  march  in  ad- 
vance, and  made  us  a  present  of  some  choice 
pieces,  which  were  a  very  acceptable  change 
from  our  salt  pork.  In  the  interchange  of 
news,  and  the  renewal  of  old  acquaintance- 
ships, we  found  wherewithal  to  fill  a  busy 
hour ;  then  we  mounted  our  horses,  and 
tliey  shouldered  their  packs,  and  we  shook 
hands  and  parted.  Among  them,  I  had 
found  an  old  companion  on  the  northern 
prairie,  a  hardened  and  hardly  served  veteran 
i)f  the  mountains,  who  had  been  as  much 
hacked  and  scarred  as  an  old  moustache  of 
Napoleon's  "old  guard."  He  flourished  in 
the  sobriquet  of  La  Tulipe,  and  his  real 
name  I  never  knew.  Finding  that  he  was 
going  to  the  States  only  because  his  compa- 
ny was  bound  in  that  direction,  and  that  he 
was  rather  more  willing  to  return  with  me, 
1  took  him  again  into  my  service.  We 
travelled  this  day  but  seventeen  miles. 

At  our  evening  camp,  about  sunset,  three 
figures  were  discovered  approaching,  which 
our  glasses  made  out  to  be  Indians.  They 
proved  to  be  Cheyennes — two  men,  and  a 


boy  of  thirteen.  About  a  month  since,  they 
had  left  their  people  on  the  south  fork  of  tM 
river,  some  three  hundred  miles  to  the  west- 
ward, and  a  party  of  only  four  in  number 
had  beer,  to  the  Pawnee  villages  on  a  horBe- 
stealing  excursion,  from  which  they  were 
returning  unsuccessful.  They  were  miser- 
ably mounted  on  wild  horses  from  the  Ark- 
ansas plains,  and  had  no  other  weapons  than 
bows  and  long  spears ;  and  had  they  been 
discovered  by  the  Pawnees,  could  not,  by 
any  possibility,  have  escaped.  They  were 
mortified  by  their  ill  success,  and  said  tlie 
Pawnees  were  cowards,  who  shut  up  their 
horses  in  their  lodges  at  night.  I  invited 
them  to  supper  witii  me,  and  Randolph  and 
the  young  Cheyenne,  who  had  been  eyeing 
each  other  suspiciously  and  curiously,  soon 
became  intimate  friends.  After  supper,  we 
sat  down  on  the  grass,  and  I  placed  a  sheet 
of  paper  between  us,  on  whic!)  they  traced 
rudely,  but  with  a  certain  degree  of  relative 
truth,  the  watercourses  of  the  country  which 
lay  between  us  and  tiieir  villages,  and  of 
which  I  desired  to  have  some  'i-..rmation. 
Their  companions,  they  told  us,  m,.  i;ikena 
nearer  route  over  the  hills;  bui  uoy  had 
mounted  one  of  the  summits  to  spy  out  the 
country,  whence  they  had  caught  a  glimpse 
of  our  party,  and,  confident  of  good  treat- 
ment at  the  hands  of  the  whites,  hastened  to 
join  company.  Latitude  of  the  camp  40* 
39' 51". 

We  made  the  ne:  morning  sixteen  miles. 
I  remarked  that  the  ground  was  covered  in 
many  places  with  an  efflorescence  of  salt, 
and  the  plants  were  not  numerous.  In  the 
bottoms  were  frequently  seen  Iraiiescanlia, 
and  on  the  dry  lenches  were  carduus,  cactus, 
and  arnarpha.  A  high  wind  during  the 
morning  had  increased  to  a  violent  gale  from 
the  northwest,  which  made  our  afternoon 
ride  cold  and  unpleasant.  We  had  the  wel- 
come sight  of  two  buffaloes  on  one  of  the 
large  islands,  and  encamped  at  a  clump  of 
timber  about  seven  miles  from  our  noon  halt, 
after  a  day's  march  of  twenty-two  miles. 

The  air  was  keen  the  next  morning  at 
sunrise,  the  thermometer  standing  at  44°, 
and  it  was  sufficiently  cold  to  make  over- 
coats very  comfortable.  A  few  miles  brought 
us  into  the  midst  of  the  buffalo,  swarming 
in  immense  numbers  over  the  plains,  where 
they  had  left  scarcely  a  blade  ol  grass  stand- 
ing. Mr.  Preuss,  who  whs  sketching  at  a 
little  distance  in  the  rear,  had  at  first  noted 
them  as  large  groves  uf  timber.  In  the 
sight  of  such  a  mass  of  life,  the  traveller 
feels  a  strange  emotion  of  grandeur.  We 
had  heard  from  a  distance  a  dull  and  con- 
fused murmuring,  and,  when  we  came  in 
view  of  their  dark  masses,  there  was  not  one 
among  us  who  did  not  feel  his  heart  beat 
quicker.    It  ivas  the  early  part  of  the  day, 


II 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1^. 


ill 


when  the  herds  are  feeding;  and  every- 
where they  were  in  motion.  Here  and  there 
a  huge  old  bull  was  rolling  in  the  grass,  and 
clouoB  of  dnst  rose  in  the  air  from  various 
parts  of  the  bands,  each  the  scene  of  some 
ebstinate  fight.  Indians  and  buffiilo  make 
the  poetry  and  life  of  the  prairie,  and  our 
camp  was  full  of  their  exhilaration.  In  place 
of  the  quiet  monotony  of  the  march,  relieved 
only  by  the  cracking  of  the  whip,  and  an 
•*  avance  done !  enfant  de  garce !  "  shouts 
and  songs  resounded  from  every  part  of  the 
line,  and  our  evening  camp  was  always  the 
commencement  of  a  feast,  which  terminated 
only  with  our  departure  on  the  following 
morning.  At  any  time  of  the  night  might 
be  seen  pieces  of  the  most  delicate  and 
choicest  meat,  roasting  en  appolas,  on  sticks 
around  the  fire,  and  the  guard  were  never 
without  company.  With  pleasant  weather 
and  no  enemy  to  fear,  an  abundance  of  the 
most  excellent  meat,  and  no  scarcity  of 
bread  or  tobacco,  they  were  enjoying  the 
oasis  of  a  voyageur's  life.  Three  cows  were 
killed  to-day.  Kit  Carson  had  shot  one,  and 
was  continuing  the  chase  in  the  midst  of 
another  herd,  when  his  horse  fell  headlong, 
but  sprang  up  and  joined  the  flying  band. 
Theugh  considerably  hurt,  he  had  the  good 
fortune  to  break  no  bones;  and  Maxwell, 
who  wa<9  mounted  on  a  fleet  hunter,  cap- 
tured the  runaway  after  a  hard  chase.  He 
was  on  the  point  of  shooting  him,  to  avoid 
the  loss  of  his  bridle,  (a  handsomely  mount- 
ed Spanish  one),  when  he  found  that  his 
horse  was  able  to  come  up  with  him.  Ani- 
mate are  frequently  lost  in  this  way ;  and  it 
is  necessary  to  keep  close  watch  over  them, 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  buflalo,  in  the  midst  of 
which  they  scour  off  to  the  plains,  and  are 
rarely  retaken.  One  of  our  mules  took  a 
sudden  freak  into  his  head,  and  joined  a 
neighboring  band  to-day.  As  we  were  not 
in  a  condition  to  lose  horses,  I  sent  several 
men  in  pursuit,  and  remained  in  camp,  in 
the  hope  of  recovering  him;  but  lost  the 
afternoon  to  no  purpose,  as  we  did  not  see 
him  again.  Astronomical  observations 
placed  us  in  longitude  lOOo  05'  47",  latitude 
40O  49'  65". 

July  1. — ^Along  our  road  to-day  the  prairie 
bottom  was  more  elevated  and  dry,  and  the 
hills  which  border  the  right  side  of  the  river 
higher,  and  more  broken  and  picturesque  in 
the  outline.  The  country,  too,  was  better 
timbered.  As  we  were  riding  quietly  along 
the  bank,  a  grand  herd  of  buimlo,  some  seven 
or  eight  hundred  in  number,  came  crowding 
up  from  the  river,  where  they  had  been  to 
drink,  and  commenced  crossing  the  plain 
dowly,  eating  as  they  went.  The  wind  was 
favorable ;  the  coolness  of  the  morning  in- 
tited  to  exercise ;  the  groimd  was  apparently 
food,  and  the  distance  acrow  the  fnnurie  (two 


or  three  miles)  gave  us  a  fine  optwrtnnity  to 
charge  them  before  they  could  get  among  the 
river  hills.  It  was  too  fine  a  prospect  for  i 
chase  to  be  lost ;  and,  halting  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, the  hunters  were  brought  up  and  sad- 
died,  and  Kit  Carson,  Maxwell,  ana  I,  started 
together.  They  were  now  somewhat  len 
than  half  a  mile  distant,  and  we  rode  easil; 
along  until  within  about  three  hundred  yards, 
when  a  sudden  agitation,  a  wavering  m  the 
band,  and  a  galloping  to  and  fro  of  some 
which  were  scattered  along  the  skirts,  gave 
us  the  intimation  that  we  were  discovered, 
We  started  together  at  a  hand  gallop,  riding 
steadily  abreast  of  each  other,  and  here  the 
interest  of  the  chase  became  so  engrossingly 
intense,  that  we  were  sensible  to  nothing  else. 
We  were  now  closing  upon  them  rapidly,  and 
the  front  of  the  mass  was  already  in  rapid 
motion  for  the  hills,  and  in  a  few  seconds  the 
movement  had  communicated  itself  to  the 
whole  herd. 

A  crowd  of  bulls,  as  usual,  brought  up  the 
rear,  and  every  now  and  then  some  of  them 
faced  about,  and  then  dashed  on  after  the 
band  a  short  distance,  and  turned  and  looked 
agaiH,  as  if  more  than  half  inclined  to  stand 
and  fight.  In  a  few  moments,  however,  du- 
ring which  we  had  been  quickening  our  pace, 
the  rout  was  universal,  and  we  were  going 
over  the  ground  like  a  hurricane.  When  at 
about  thirty  yards,  we  gave  the  usual  shout 
(the  hunter's  pas  de  charge),  and  broke  into 
the  herd.  We  entered  on  the  side,  the  mass 
giving  way  in  every  direction  in  their  heed- 
less course.  Many  of  the  bulls,  less  active 
and  less  fleet  than  the  cows,  paying  no  at- 
tention to  the  ground,  and  occupied  solely 
with  the  hunter,  were  precipitated  to  the  earth 
with  great  force,  rolling  over  and  over  with 
the  violence  of  the  shock,  and  hardly  dis- 
tinguishable in  the  dust.  We  separated  on 
entering,  each  singling  out  his  game. 

My  horse  was  a  tramed  hunter,  famous  in 
the  west  under  the  name  of  Proveau,  and, 
with  his  eyes  flashing,  and  the  foam  flying 
from  his  mouth,  sprang  on  after  the  cow  like 
a  tiger.  In  a  few  moments  he  brought  me 
alongside  of  her,  and  rising  in  the  stirrups,  I 
fired  at  the  distance  of  a  yard,  the  ball  enter- 
ing at  the  termination  of  the  long  hair,  and 
passing  near  the  heart.  She  feu  headlong 
at  the  report  of  the  gun,  and,  checking  my 
horse,  I  looked  around  for  my  companions. 
At  a  little  distance,  Kit  was  on  the  ground, 
engaged  in  tying  his  horse  to  the  horns  of 
a  cow  which  he  was  preparing  to  cut  up. 

mong  the  scattered  bands,  at  some  distance 
below,  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  Maxwell ;  and 
while  I  was  looking,  a  light  wreath  of  white 
smoke  curled  away  from  his  gun,  from  which 
I  was  too  far  to  hear  the  report.  Nearer, 
and  between  me  and  the  hills,  towards  which 
they  were  directing  their  conrse,  wm  tti 


laiD.  we  deal 
rf  dost  hunj 
ny  mouth  r 

me.  In  ^^ 
and  ihe  bufia 
^thin  thirty 
QOie  denselj 
rosbed  along 
could  not  obt 
most  leapin 
the  mass  ( 
horns  clatte 
everything 
the  opening 
UB  as  we  das 
far  behind  ; 
her  my  fire, 
a  tremendoi 
than  before, 
band  swept 
place  quiet « 
into  dangen 
Age,  so  thic 
or  four  holes 
occupied  th 
miles  in  len 
one  of  the  1 
the  long  dai 
along,  three 
inarch  of  tw 
nightfall,  on 
end  of  Brad 
arm  of  the 
eighty  van 
feet  in  dept! 
a  man  kille 
His  party  h 
pany,  and  o 
leaving  Bn 
These  two 
the  hunter' 
was  told  til 
ally.    He ' 
as  usual,  t 
some  hum! 
ground  we 
wolves,  th 
the  buffiilc 
during  the 
In  the  mo 
distance, 
our  depar 
July^.- 
Our  road 
increased 
of  conica 
dred  feet 
pine,  gr< 
of  clay  < 
crossed  i 
lows,  til 
(•on*  net 
aradiB 


[1^.  I  Ittf^l 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NAREATIVE. 


It 


opportnnityto 
igetamouffthe 
prospect  for  a 
for  a  few  mo. 
:ht  up  and  ead- 
.andljBtarted 
iomewhat  Ie« 
we  rode  easilj 
hundred  vardg, 
avering  m  the 
d  fro  of  some 
le  skirts,  gave 
jre  discovered, 
gallop,  ridinff 
and  here  the 
enffrossingly 
nothing  else. 
m  rapidly,  and 
ready  in  rapid 
!w  seconds  the 
itself  to  the 


)rought  up  the 
some  of  them 
on  after  the 
ed  and  looked 
lined  to  stand 
,  however,  du. 
ning  our  pace, 
e  were  going 
le.     When  at 
e  usual  shout 
nd  broke  into 
side,  the  mass 
in  their  heed- 
Is,  less  active 
)aying  no  at- 
cupied  solely 
id  to  the  earth 
nd  over  with 
1  hardly  dis- 
separated  on 
?ame. 

er,  famous  in 
Weau,  and, 
foam  flying 
the  cow  like 
brought  me 
le  stirrups,  I 
e  ball  enter- 
ig  hair,  and 
n  headlong 
decking  my 
companions, 
the  ground, 
ie  horns  of 
to  cut  up. 
me  distance 
xwell ;  and 
th  of  white 
from  which 
'•    Nearer, 
ardswliioli 
^  WMtti 


ln^  of  the  herd,  and,  giving  my  horso  the 
nio,  we  dashed  after  them.    A  thick  cloud 
tt  dnst  hung  upon  their  rear,  which  filled 
ny  mouth  and  eyes,  and  nearly  smothered 
me.   In  the  midst  of  this  I  could  see  nothing, 
and  le  bufi&lo  were  not  distinguishable  until 
irithin  thirty  feet.    They  crowded  together 
more  densely  still  as  I  came  upon  them,  and 
roshed  along  in  such  a  compact  body,  that  I 
could  not  obtain  an  entrance — the  horse  al- 
most leaping  upon  them.    In  a  few  moments 
the  mass  divided  to  the  right  and  left,  the 
horns  clattering  with  a  noise  heard  above 
everything  else,  and  my  horse  darted  into 
the  opening.    Five  or  six  bulls  charged  on 
U8  as  we  dashed  along  the  line,  but  were  left 
far  behind  ;  and,  singling  out  a  cow,  I  gave 
her  my  fire,  but  struck  too  high.    She  gave 
a  tremendous  leap,  and  scoured  on  swifter 
than  before.    I  reined  up  my  horse,  and  the 
band  swept  on  like  a  torrent,  and  left  the 
place  quiet  and  clear.    Our  chase  had  led  us 
into  dangerous  ground.     A  prairie  dog-vil- 
.age,  so  thickly  settled  that  there  were  three 
or  four  holes  in  every  twenty  yards  square, 
occupied  the  whole  bottom  for  nearly  two 
miles  in  length.    Looking  around,  I  saw  only 
oao  of  the  hunters,  nearly  out  of  sight,  and 
the  long  dark  line  of  our  caravan  crawling 
along,  three  or  four  miles  distant.     After  a 
march  of  twenty-four  miles,  we  encamped  at 
nightfall,  one  mile  and  a  half  above  the  lower 
end  of  Brady's  Island.     The  breadth  of  this 
arm  of  the  river  was  eight  hundred  and 
eighty  yards,  and  the  water  nowhere  two 
feet  in  depth.  The  island  bears  the  name  of 
a  man  killed  on  this  spot  some  years  ago. 
His  party  had  encamped  here,  three  in  com- 
pany, and  one  of  the  number  went  off  to  hunt, 
leaving  Brady  and  his  companion  together. 
These  two  had  frequently  quarrelled,  and  on 
the  hunter's  return  he  found  Brady  dead,  and 
was  told  that  he  had  shot  himself  accident- 
ally.   He  was  buried  here  on  the  bank ;  but, 
as  usual,  the  wolves  had  torn  him  out,  and 
some  human  bones  that  were  lying  on  the 
ground  we  supposed  were  his.    Troops  of 
wolves,  that  were  hanging  on  the  skirts  of 
the  bufialo,  kept  up  an  uninterrupted  howling 
during  the  night,  venturing  almost  into  camp. 
In  the  morning,  they  werq  sitting  at  a  short 
distance,  barking,  and  impatiently  waiting 
our  departure,  to  fall  upon  the  bones. 

July  2. — The  morning  was  cool  and  smoky. 
Our  road  led  closer  to  the  hills,  which  here 
increased  in  elevation,  presenting  an  outline 
of  conical  peaks  three  hundred  to  five  hun- 
dred feet  high.  Some  timber,  apparently 
pine,  grows  in  the  ravines,  and  streaks 
of  clay  or  sand  whiten  their  slopes.  We 
crossed  during  the  morning  a  number  of  hol- 
lows, timber^  principally  with  box  elder 
(«B8r  negundo),  poplar  and  elm.  Brady's 
MlMid  is  well  wooded,  and  all  the  river  along 


which  our  road  led  to-day  may,  ia  general, 
be  called  tolerably  well  timbered.  We  pass- 
ed near  an  encampment  of  the  Oregon  emi- 
grants, where  they  appeared  to  have  reposed 
several  do.y  A  variety  of  household  arti> 
cles  wee  tered  about,  and  they  had  pro- 
bably dm  .  med  themselves  here  of  many 
things  nc  i.  absolutely  necessary.  I  had  left 
the  usual  road  before  the  mid-day  halt,  and 
in  the  afternoon,  having  sent  several  men  in 
advance  to  reconnoitre,  marched  directly  for 
the  mouth  of  the  South  fork.  On  our  arri- 
val, the  horsemen  were  sent  in  and  scattered 
about  the  river  to  search  the  best  fording 
places,  and  the  carts  followed  immediately. 
The  stream  is  here  divided  by  an  island  into 
two  channels.  The  southern  is  four  hundrod 
and  fifty  feet  wide,  having  eighteen  or  twenty 
inches  water  in  the  deepest  places.  With 
the  exception  of  a  few  dry  bars,  the  bed  of 
the  river  is  generally  quicksands,  in  which 
the  carts  began  to  sink  rapidly  so  soon  as 
the  mules  halted,  so  that  it  was  necessary  to 
keep  them  constantly  in  motion. 

The  northern  channel,  two  thousand  twa 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide,  was  somewhat 
deeper,  having  frequently  three  feet  water  in 
the  numerous  small  channels,  with  a  bed  of 
coarse  gravel.  The  whole  breadth  of  the 
Nebraska,  immediately  below  the  junction,  is 
five  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 
All  our  equipage  had  reached  the  left  bank 
safely  at  6  o'clock,  having  to-day  made  twenty 
miles.  We  encamped  at  the  point  of  land 
immediately  at  the  junction  of  the  North  and 
South  forks.  Between  the  streams  is  a  low 
rich  prairie,  extending  from  tlitir  confluence 
eighteen  miles  westwardly  to  the  bordering 
hilTl,  where  it  is  five  and  a  half  miles  wide. 
It  is  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass, 
and  along  the  banks  is  a  slight  and  scattered 
fringe  of  cottonwood  and  willow.  In  the 
buf^lo  trails  and  wallows,  I  remarked  saline 
efflorescences,  to  which  a  rapid  evaporation 
in  the  great  heat  of  the  sun  probobly  contri- 
butes, as  the  soil  is  entirely  unprotected  by 
timber.  In  the  vicinity  of  these  places  there 
was  a  bluish  grass,  which  the  cattle  refuse 
to  eat,  called  by  the  vojrageurs  "  herbe  saUe  " 
(salt  grass).  The  latitude  of  the  junction  is 
41°  04"  47'',  and  longitude,  by  chronometer 
and  lunar  distances,  1 00"  49 '  43  ".  The  ele- 
vation above  the  sea  is  about  two  thousand 
seven  hundred  feet.  The  hunters  came  in 
with  a  fat  cow ;  and,  as  we  had  labored  hard, 
we  enjoyed  well  a  supper  of  roasted  ribs  and 
boudins,  the  chef-ePauvre  of  a  prairie  cook. 
Mosquitoes  thronged  about  us  this  evening ; 
but,  by  10  o'clock,  when  the  thermometer  had 
fallen  to  47°,  they  had  all  disappeared. 

July  3. — As  this  was  to  be  a  point  in  our 
homeward  journey,  I  made  a  cache  (a  term 
used  in  all  this  country  for  what  is  hidden  i> 
the  ground)  of  a  barrel  of  pork.    It^ 


M 


GAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


11811  I    |M>-1 


HI 


poifliUe  to  conceal  sach  a  proceeding  from 
the  sharp  eyes  of  our  Cheyenne  companions, 
and  I  therefore  told  them  to  go  and  see  what 
it  was  they  were  burying.  They  would  oth- 
erwise have  not  failed  to  return  and  destroy 
our  cache  in  expectation  of  some  rich  booty ; 
but  pork  they  aislike,  and  never  eat.  We 
left  our  camp  at  9,  continuing  up  the  South 
fork,  the  prairie  bottom  aflbraing  us  a  fair 
road ;  but  in  the  long  grass  we  roused  myri- 
ads of  mosquitoes  and  flies,  from  which  our 
horses  suflered  severely.  The  day  was 
smoky,  with  a  pleasant  breeze  from  the  south, 
and  the  plains  on  the  o()posite  side  were  co- 
vered witn  bufialo.  Having  travelled  twenty- 
five  miles,  we  encamped  at  6  in  the  evening ; 
and  the  men  were  sent  across  the  river  for 
wood,  as  there  is  none  here  on  the  left  bank. 
Our  fires  were  partially  made  of  the  bois  de 
racA«,  the  dry  excrement  of  the  bufl&lo, 
which,  like  tliatof  the  camel  in  the  Arabian 
deserts,  furnishes  to  the  traveller  a  very  good 
substitute  for  wood,  burning  like  turf. 
Wolves  in  great  numbers  surrounded  us 
during  the  night,  crossing  and  recrossing 
from  the  opposite  herds  to  our  camp,  and 
howling  and  trotting  about  in  the  river  until 
morning. 

July  4. — The  morning  was  very  smoky, 
the  sun  shining  dimly  and  red,  as  in  a  tliicK 
fog.  The  camp  was  roused  with  a  salute  at 
daybreak,  and  from  our  scanty  store  a  portion 
of  what  our  Indian  friends  called  the  "  red 
fire  water  "  served  out  to  the  men.  While 
we  were  at  breakfast,  a  bufialo  calf  broke 
through  the  camp,  followed  by  a  couple  of 
wolves.  In  its  fright,  it  had  probably  mis- 
taken us  for  a  band  of  bufialo.  The  wolves 
were  obliged  to  make  a  circuit  around  the 
camp,  so  that  the  calf  got  a  little  the  start, 
and  strained  eve^  nerve  to  reach  a  large 
herd  at  the  foot  of"^  the  hills,  about  two  miles 
distant ;  but  first  one,  and  then  another,  and 
another  wolf  joined  in  the  chase,  until  his 
pursuers  amounted  to  twenty  or  thirty,  and 
they  ran  him  down  before  he  could  reach  his 
friends.  There  were  a  few  bulls  near  the 
place,  and  one  of  them  attacl'od  the  wolves, 
and  tried  to  rescue  him ;  but  was  driven  off 
immediately,  and  the  little  animal  fell  an 
easy  prey,  half  devoured  before  he  was  dead. 
We  watched  the  chase  with  the  interest  al- 
ways felt  for  the  weak ;  and  had  there  been 
a  saddled  horse  at  hand,  he  would  nave  fared 
better.  Leaving  camp,  our  road  soon  ap- 
proached the  hills,  in  which  strata  of  a  marl 
like  that  of  the  Chimney  rock,  hereafter  de- 
scribed, make  their  appearance.  It  is  proba- 
bly of  this  rock  that  the  hills  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Platte,  a  little  below  the  junction, 
are  composed,  and  which  are  worked  by  the 
winds  and  rains  into  sharp  peaks  and  cones, 

eiving  them,  in  contrast  to  the  surrounding 
)Tel  region,  something  of  a  picturesque  ap- 


pearance. We  crossed  this  morning  naai»> 
rouB  beds  of  the  small  creeks  which,  in  the 
time  of  rains  and  melting  snow,  pour  down 
from  the  ridge,  bringing  down  with  them  al. 
ways  great  quantities  of  sand  and  gravel, 
which  nave  graduallv  raised  their  beds  four 
to  ten  feet  above  the  level  of  the  prairie, 
which  they  cross,  making  each  one  of  them 
a  miniature  Po.  Raised  in  this  way  above 
the  surrounding  prairie,  without  any  bank, 
the  long  yellow  and  winding  line  of  their 
beds  resembles  a  causeway  from  the  hills  to 
the  river.  Many  spots  on  the  prairie  are 
yellow  with  sunflower  (helianihus). 

As  we  were  riding  slowly  along  this  after- 
noon, clouds  of  dust  in  the  ravines,  among 
the  hills  to  the  right,  suddenly  attracted  our 
attention,  and  in  a  few  minutes  column  after 
column  of  bufialo  came  galloping  down, 
making  directly  to  the  river.  By  the  time 
the  leading  herds  had  reached  the  water,  the 

frairie  was  darkened  with  the  dense  masses, 
mmediately  before  us,  when  tlie  bands  firsl 
came  down  into  the  valley,  stretched  an  un- 
broken line,  the  head  of  which  was  lost 
among  the  river  hills  on  the  opposite  side ; 
and  still  they  poured  down  from  the  ridge  on 
our  right.  From  hill  to  hill,  the  prairie  bot- 
tom was  certainly  not  less  than  two  miles 
wide ;  and,  allowing  the  animals  to  be  ten 
feet  apart,  and  only  ten  in  a  line,  there  were 
already  eleven  thousand  in  view.  Some 
idea  may  thus  be  formed  of  their  number 
when  they  had  occupied  the  whole  plain. 
In  a  short  time  they  surrounded  us  on  every 
side ;  extending  for  several  miles  in  the  rear, 
and  forward  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach ; 
leaving  around  us,  as  we  advanced,  an  open 
space  of  only  two  or  three  hundred  yards. 
This  movement  of  the  bufialo  indicated  to 
us  the  presence  of  Indians  on  the  north 
fork. 

I  halted  earlier  than  usual,  about  forty 
miles  from  the  junction,  and  all  hands  were 
soon  busily  engaged  in  preparing  a  feast  to 
celebrate  the  day.  The  kindness  of  our 
friends  at  St.  Louis  had  provided  us  with  a 
large  supply  of  excellent  preserves  and  rich 
fruit  cake ;  and  when  these  were  added  to  a 
maccaroni  soup,  and  variously  prepared  dish- 
es of  the  choicetil  bufi&lo  meat,  crowned 
with  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  enjoyed  with  prai- 
rie appetite,  we  felt,  as  we  sat  in  barbaric 
luxury  around  our  smoking  supper  on  the 
grass,  a  greater  sensation  of  enjoyment  than 
the  Roman  epicure  at  his  perfumed  feast. 
But  most  of  all  it  seemed  to  please  our  In- 
dian friends,  who,  in  the  unrestrained  enjoy- 
ment of  the  moment,  demanded  to  know  if 
our  "  medicine  days  came  often."  No  re* 
straint  was  exercised  at  the  hospitable  boan^ 
and,  to  the  great  delight  of  his  elders,  out 
young  Indian  lad  mule  himself  extremelj 
drank. 


U8a  I  ntf-j 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ti 


d 


norning  nain$, 
which,  in  the 
•w,  poor  down 
with  them  •]. 
i  and  eravel 
heir  beds  four 
>f  the  prairie, 
»  one  of  them 
his  way  above 
out  any  bank, 
f  line  of  their 
'in  the  hills  to 
le  prairie  an 
hus). 

ong  this  after- 
ivines,  among 
attracted  our 
column  after 
oping   down, 
Jy  the  time 
the  water,  the 
lenso  masses, 
he  bands  firsl 
etched  an  un- 
lich  was  lost 
opposite  side ; 
>  the  ridge  on 
»e  prairie  bot- 
in  two  miles 
lals  to  be  ten 
e,  there  were 
'iew.     Some 
their  number 
whole  plain. 
I  us  on  every 
>s  in  the  rear, 
could  reach ; 
iced,  an  open 
ndred  yards, 
indicated  to 
n  the  north 

about  forty 

hands  were 
ig  a  feast  to 
less  of  our 
I  us  with  a 
es  and  rich 
s  added  to  a 
epareddish- 
^t,  crowned 
I  with  prai- 
in  barbaric 
per  on  the 
yment  than 
imed  feast. 
|ise  our  In- 
ined  enjoys 
to  know  if 
"    No  re- 
ible  boan^ 
ilders,  our 
extremelj 


Onr  encampment  was  within  a  few  mil<;B 
ti  the  place  where  the  road  croasea  to  iikc 
Borth  fork,  and  various  reasons  led  me  to  di- 
vide my  party  at  this  point.  The  north  fork 
ffts  the  principal  object  of  my  survey ;  but 
( WM  desirous  to  ascend  the  south  branch, 
with  a  view  of  obtaining  some  astronomical 
positions,  and  determining  the  mouths  of  its 
tributaries  as  far  as  St.  Vrain's  fort,  estimat- 
ed to  be  some  two  hundred  miles  further  up 
the  river,  and  near  to  Long's  peak.  There 
I  hoped  to  obtain  some  mules,  which  I  found 
would  be  necessary  to  relieve  my  horses.  In  a 
military  point  of  view,  I  was  desirous  to  form 
acme  opinion  of  the  country  relative  to  the  es- 
tablishment of  Dosts  on  a  line  connecting  the 
settlements  wiui  the  south  pass  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  by  way  of  the  Arkansas 
and  the  south  and  Laramie  forks  of  the 
Platte.  Crossing  the  country  northwest- 
wardly from  St.  Vrain's  fort,  to  the  Ameri- 
can company's  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  La- 
ramie, would  give  me  some  acquaintance 
with  the  affluents  which  head  in  the  moun- 
tains between  the  two;  I  therefore  deter- 
mined to  set  out  the  next  morning,  accompa- 
nied by  Mr.  Preuss  and  four  men,  Maxwell, 
Bemier,  Ayot,  and  Basil  Lajeunesse.  Our 
Cheyennes?,  whose  village  lay  up  this  river, 
also  decided  to  accompany  us.  The  party  I 
left  in  charge  of  Clement  Lambert,  with  or- 
ders to  cross  to  the  north  fork ;  and  at  some 
convenient  place,  near  to  the  Coulke  des 
Frines,  make  a  cacTie  of  everything  not  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  the  further  progress 
of  our  expedition.  From  this  point,  using 
the  most  guarded  precaution  in  his  march 
through  the  country,  he  was  to  proceed  to 
the  American  company's  fort  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Laramie's  fork,  and  await  my  arrival, 
which  would  be  prior  to  the  16th,  as  on  that 
and  the  following  night  would  occur  some 
occultations  which  I  was  desirous  to  obtain 
at  that  place. 

Jvly  6. — Before  breakfast  all  was  ready. 
We  had  one  led  horse  in  addition  to  those 
we  rode,  and  a  packed  mule,  destined  to  ear- 
ly our  instruments,  provisions,  and  baggage  ; 
the  last  two  articles  not  being  of  very  great 
weight.  The  instruments  consisted  of  a 
sextant,  artificial  horizon,  &.c.,  a  barometer, 
spy  glass,  and  compass.  The  chronometer  I 
of  course  kept  on  my  person,  I  had  ordered 
the  cook  to  put  up  for  us  some  flour,  coffee, 
and  sugar,  and  our  rifles  were  to  furnish  the 
rest.  One  blanket,  in  addition  to  his  saddle 
and  saddle  blanket,  furnished  the  materials 
for  each  man's  bed,  and  every  one  was  pro- 
Tided  with  a  change  of  linen.  All  were 
armed  with  rifles  or  double  barrelled  guns ; 
and,  in  addition  to  these.  Maxwell  and  my- 
self were  furnished  with  excellent  pistols. 
Thus  accoutred,  we  took  a  parting  breakfast 
with  our  friends,  and  set  forth. 


Our  journey  the  first  day  afforded  nothing 
of  any  interest.  We  shot  a  bufiUo  towM 
sunset,  and  having  obtained  some  meat  for 
our  evening  meal,  encamped  where  a  little 
timber  aflforded  us  the  means  of  making  a 
fire.  Having  disposed  our  meat  on  roastmg 
sticks,  we  proceeded  to  unpack  our  bales  in 
search  of  coffee  and  sugar,  and  flojr  for 
bread.  With  the  exception  of  a  little  parch- 
ed cofTee,  unground,  we  found  nothing.  Our 
cook  had  neglected  to  put  it  up,  or  it  had 
been  somehow  forgotten.  Tirea  and  hun- 
gry, with  tough  bull  meat  without  salt  (for 
we  had  not  been  able  to  kill  a  cow),  and  a 
little  bitter  cofifee,  we  sat  down  in  silence  to 
our  miserable  fare,  a  very  disconsolate  party ; 
for  yesterday's  feast  was  yet  fresh  m  our 
memories,  and  this  was  our  first  brush  with 
misfortune.  Each  man  took  his  blanket, 
and  laid  himself  down  silently ;  for  the  worst 
part  of  these  mishaps  is,  that  thev  make 
people  ill-humored.  To-day  we  had  travel- 
led about  thirty-six  miles. 

July  6. — Finding  that  our  present  excur- 
sion would  be  attended  with  considerable 
hardship,  and  unwilling  to  expose  more  per- 
sons than  necessary,  I  determined  to  send 
Mr.  Preuss  back  to  the  party.  His  horse, 
too,  appeared  in  no  condition  to  support  the 
journey ;  and  accordingly,  after  breakfast, 
he  took  the  road  across  the  hills,  attended 
by  one  of  my  most  trusty  men,  Bernier.  The 
ridge  between  the  rivers  is  here  about  fifteen 
miles  broad,  and  I  expected  he  would  proba- 
bly strike  the  fork  near  their  evening  camp. 
At  all  events  ho  would  not  fail  to  find  their 
trail,  and  rejoin  them  the  next  day. 

We  continued  our  journey,  seven  in  nu(n- 
ber,  including  the  three  Cfheyennes.  Oat 
general  course  was  southwest,  up  the  valley 
of  the  river,  which  was  sandy,  bordered  on 
the  northern  side  of  the  valley  by  a  low 
ridge ;  and  on  the  south,  after  seven  or  eight 
miles,  the  river  hills  became  higher.  Six 
miles  from  our  resting  pl<<.ce  we  crossed  Uie 
bed  of  a  considerable"  stream,  now  entirely 
dry — a  bed  of  sand.  In  a  grove  of  willows, 
near  the  mouth,  were  the  remains  of  a  con- 
siderable fort,  constructed  of  trunks  of  large 
trees  It  was  apparently  very  old,  and  had 
probably  been  the  scene  of  some  hostile  en- 
counter among  the  roving  tribes.  Its  soli- 
tude formed  an  impressive  contrast  to  the 
picture  which  our  imaginations  involunta- 
rily drew  of  the  busy  scene  which  had  been 
enacted  here.  The  timber  appeared  to  have 
been  much  more  extensive  formerly  than 
now.  There  were  but  few  trees,  a  kind  of 
long-leaved  willow,  standing ;  and  numerous 
trunks  of  large  trees  were  scattered  about 
on  the  ground.  In  many  similar  places  I 
had  occasion  to  remark  an  apparent  progres- 
sive decay  in  the  timber.  Ten  miles  far- 
ther we  reached  the  mouth  of  Lodge  Pol* 


u 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


^1041 


;  I 


creek,  a  clear  and  handeome  stream,  run- 
ning through  a  broad  viJley.  In  its  course 
through  the  bottom  it  has  a  uniform  breadth 
of  twenty-two  feet,  and  six  inches  in  depth. 
A  few  willows  on  the  banks  strike  pleasant- 
ly on  the  eye,  by  their  greenness,  in  the 
midst  of  the  hot  and  barren  sands. 

The  amorpha  was  frequent  among  the 
ravines,  but  the  sunflower  (helianthu^  was 
the  characteristic ;  and  flowers  of  deep 
warm  colors  seem  most  to  love  the  sandy 
soil.  The  impression  of  the  country  travelled 
over  to-day  was  one  of  dry  and  barren  sands. 
We  turned  in  towards  the  river  at  noon, 
and  gave  our  horses  two  hours  for  food  and 
rest.  I  had  no  other  thermometer  than  the 
one  attached  to  the  barometer,  which  stood 
at  89°,  the  height  of  the  column  in  the  ba- 
rometer being  26.235  at  meridian.  The  sky 
was  clear,  with  a  high  wind  from  the  south. 
At  3,  we  continued  our  journey ;  the  wind 
had  'moderated,  and  it  became  almost  unen- 
durably  hot,  and  our  animals  suffered  severe- 
,'y.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  the  wind 
rose  suddenly,  and  blew  hard  from  the  south- 
west, with  thunder  and  lightning,  and  squalls 
of  rain ;  these  were  blown  against  us  with 
vidence  by  the  wind;  and,  halting,  we 
turned  our  backs  to  the  storm  until  it  blew 
over.  Antelope  were  tolerably  frequent, 
with  a  large  pey  hare ;  but  the  former  were 
shy,  and  the  latter  hardly  worth  the  delay  of 
stopping  to  shoot  them  ;  so,  as  the  evening 
drew  near,  we  again  had  recourse  to  an  old 
bull,  and  encamped  at  sunset  on  an  island  in 
the  Platte. 

We  ate  our  meat  with  a  good  relish  this 
evening,  for  we  were  all  in  fine  health,  and 
4iad  ridden  nearly  all  of  a  long  summer's 
day,  with  a  burnmg  sun  reflected  from  the 
sands.  My  companions  slept  rolled  up  in 
their  blankets,  and  the  Indians  lay  in  the 
grass  near  the  fire ;  but  my  sleeping  place 
generally  had  an  air  of  more  pretension. 
Our  rifles  were  tied  together  near  the  muz- 
zle, the  butts  resting  on  the  ground,  and  a 
knife  laid  on  the  rope,  to  cut  away  in  case 
of  an  alarm.  Over  this,  which  made  a  kind 
of  frame,  was  thrown  a  large  India  rubber 
cloth,  which  we  used  to  cover  our  packs. 
This  made  a  tent  sufliciently  large  to  receive 
about  half  of  my  bed,  and  was  a  place  of 
shelter  for  my  instruments ;  and  as  I  was 
careful  always  to  put  this  part  against  the 
wind,  I  could  lie  here  with  a  sensation  of 
satisfied  enjoyment,  and  hear  the  wind  blow, 
and  the  rain  patter  close  to  my  head,  and 
know  that  I  should  be  at  least  half  dry. 
Certainly  I  never  slept  more  soundly.  The 
barometer  at  sunset  was  26.010,  tiiermome- 
ter  81°,  and  cloudy:  but  a  gale  from  the 
wmt  sprang  up  with  the  setting  sun,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  swept  away  every  cloud 
from  the  »kj.    The  evening  was  verj'  fine. 


and  I  remained  up  to  take  some  aatronoati* 
cal  observations,  which  made  our  positlM 
in  latitude  40°  61'  17",  and  longitude  lOtf 
07'  00". 

Jvlv  7. — At  our  camp  this  morning,  at  9 
o'clock,  the  barometer  was  at  26.183,  tber. 
mometer  69°,  and  clear,  with  a  light  wind 
from  the  southwest.  The  past  night  had 
been  squally,  with  high  winds,  and  occaaiooi 
ally  a  few  drops  of  rain.  Our  cooking  diil 
not  occupy  much  time,  and  we  left  camp 
early.  Nothing  of  interest  occurred  during 
the  morning.  The  same  dreary  barrenness, 
except  that  a  hard  marly  clay  nad  replaced 
the  sandy  soil.  Bu&lo  absolutely  covered  the 
plain  on  both  sides  the  river,  and  whenever 
we  ascended  the  hills,  scattered  herds  gave 
life  to  the  view  in  every  direction.  A  small 
drove  of  wild  horses  made  their  appearance 
on  the  low  river  bottoiqs,  a  mile  or  two  to 
the  left,  and  I  sent  off  one  of  the  Indians 
(who  seemed  very  eager  to  catch  one)  on  my 
led  horse,  a  spirited  and  fleet  animal.  The 
savage  manoeuvred  a  little  to  get  the  wind 
of  the  horses,  in  which  he  succeeded — ap- 
proaching within  a  hundred  yards  without 
being  discovered.  The  chase  for  a  few 
minutes  was  interesting.  My  hunter  easily 
overtook  and  prissed  the  hindmost  of  the  wild 
drove,  which  the  Indian  did  not  attempt  to 
lasso;  all  his  efibrts  being  directed  to  the 
capture  of  the  leader.  But  the  strength  of 
the  horse,  weakened  by  the  insufficient  nour- 
ishment of  grass,  failed  in  a  race,  and  all  the 
drove  escaped.  We  halted  at  noon  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  the  barometer  at  that  time 
being  26.192,  and  the  thermometer  103°, 
with  a  light  air  from  the  south,  and  clear 
weather. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  dust  rising 
among  the  hills  at  a  particular  place,  at- 
tracted our  attention ;  and,  riding  up,  we 
found  a  band  of  eighteen  or  twenty  bufialo 
bulls  engaged  in  a  desperate  fight.  Though 
butting  and  goring  were  bestowed  liberalfy, 
and  without  distinction,  yet  their  efforts  were 
evidently  directed  against  one — a  huge  gaunt 
old  bull,  very  lean,  while  his  adversaries 
were  all  fat  and  in  good  order.  He  appeared 
very  weak,  and  had  already  received  some 
wounds,  and,  while  we  were  looking  on,  was 
several  times  knocked  down  and  haaiy  hurt 
and  a  very  few  moments  would  have  put  au 
end  to  him.  Of  course,  we  took  the  side  of 
the  weaker  party,  and  attacked  the  herd ;  bA 
they  were  so  blind  v.-itb  rage,  that  the} 
fought  on,  utterly  regardless  of  our  presenoei 
although  on  foot  and  on  horseback  we  w«vt 
firing  m  open  view  within  twenty  yards  oS 
them.  But  this  did  not  last  long.  In  a  veij 
few  seconds,  we  created  a  commotion  amoM 
them.  One  or  two,  which  were  knocwd 
over  by  the  balls,  jumped  up  and  ran  off  iqle 
the  hills ;  and  they  began  to  retreat  aloyi^y 


1S43.] 


urn 


1S43. 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


It 


>ine  astroQoini. 
i  our  position 
loDgitude  lOtf 

morning,  at  9 
;  26.183,  ther. 

a  li^ht  wind 
ast  night  had 
,  and  occasion> 
ir  cooking  diS 
we  left  camp 
xurred  during 
kry  barrenneai, 
'  had  replaced 
sly  covered  the 
and  whenever 
red  herds  gave 
tion.  A  small 
!ir  appearance 
lile  or  two  to 
of  the  Indiana 
tch  one)  on  my 
animal.    The 

get  the  wind 
ucceeded — ap- 
yards  without 
se  for  a  few 

hunter  easily 
lost  of  the  wild 
lot  attempt  to 
irected  to  the 
e  strength  of 
ufficient  nour- 
ce,  and  all  the 

noon  on  the 
sr  at  that  time 
IOmeter  103*, 
ith,  and  clear 

»n,  dust  rising 
ar  place,  at- 
iding  up,  we 
venty  buffiUo 
?lit.  Though 
ived  liberalfy, 
ir  efforts  were 
■a  huge  gaunt 
i  adversaries 
He  appeared 
;ceived  some 
Dkingon,wu 
id  badly  hart 
have  p|ut  ab 
k  the  side  of 
the  herd ;  \nS 
[e,  that  tbe> 
ourpresencAi 
ick  we  w«i« 
ity  yarde  6t 
g.  Inaveiy 
lotion  anuM 
ere  knocikN 
Iran  off  iqlo 
itieat  slouMy 


•long  a  broad  ravine  to  the  river,  fighting 
furiously  as  they  went.  By  the  time  they 
had  reached  the  bottom,  we  had  pretty  well 
dispersed  them,  and  the  old  bull  hobbled  off 
to  lie  down  somewhere.  One  of  his  enemies 
remained  on  the  ground  where  we  had  first 
fired  upon  them,  and  we  stopped  there  for  a 
ghort  time  to  cut  from  him  some  meat  for  our 
guppor.  We  had  neglected  to  secure  our 
horses,  thinking  it  an  unnecessary  precaution 
in  tiieir  fatigued  condition ;  but  our  mule 
took  it  into  his  head  to  start,  and  away  lie 
went,  followed  at  full  speed  by  the  pack 
horse,  with  all  the  baggage  and  instruments 
on  his  back.  They  were  recovered  and 
brought  back,  after  a  chase  of  a  mile.  For- 
tunately, everything  was  well  secured,  so 
that  nothing,  not  even  the  barometer,  was  in 
the  least  injured. 

The  sun  was  getting  low,  and  some  nar- 
row lines  of  timmr  four  or  five  miles  distant 
promised  us  a  pleasant  camp,  where,  with 
plenty  of  wood  for  fire,  and  comfortable  shel- 
ter, and  rich  grass  for  our  animals,  we  should 
find  clear  cool  springs,  instead  of  the  warm 
water  of  the  Platte.  On  our  arrival,  we 
found  the  bed  of  a  stream  fifty  to  one  hun- 
ilred  feet  wide,  sunk  some  thirty  feet  below 
(he  level  of  the  prairie,  with  perpendicular 
banks,  bordered  by  a  fringe  of  green  cotton- 
wood,  but  not  a  drop  of  water.  There  were 
several  small  forks  to  the  stream,  all  in  the 
same  condition  With  the  exception  of  the 
Platte  bottom,  the  country  seemed  to  be  of  a 
clay  formation,  dry,  and  perfectly  devoid  of 
any  moisture,  and  baked  hard  by  the  sun. 
Turning  offtowards  the  river,  we  reached  the 
bank  in  about  a  mile,  and  were  delio;hted  to 
pjid  an  old  tree,  with  thick  foliage  and 
spreading  branches,  where  we  encamped. 
At  sunset,  the  barometer  was  at  25.960, 
thermometer  81°,  with  a  strong  wind  fromS. 
20°  E.,  and  the  sky  partially  covered  with 
heavy  masses  of  cloua,  which  settled  a  little 
towards  the  horizon  by  10  o'clock,  leaving  it 
sufficiently  clear  for  astronomical  observa- 
tions, which  placed  us  in  latitude  40°  33'  26", 
and  longitude  103°  30'  37". 

July  8. — The  morning  was  very  pleasant. 
The  breeze  was  fresh  from  S.  60°  E.  with 
few  clouds;  the  barometer ,at  6  o'clock  stand- 
iig  at  26.970,  and  the  thermometer  at  70°. 
Since  leaving  the  forks,  our  route  had  passed 
over  a  country  alternately  clay  and  sand, 
each  presenting  the  same  naked  waste.  On 
leaving  camp  tnis  momitig,  we  struck  again 
a  sandy  region,  in  which  the  vegetation  ap- 
peared somewhat  more  vigorous  than  that 
which  we  had  observed  for  the  last  few  days ; 
ind  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  were 
K>me  tolerably  large  groves  of  timber. 

Journeying  along,  we  came  suddenly  upon 
I  place  where  the  ground  was  covered  with 
borses'  tracks,  which  had  been  made  since 


the  rain,  and  indicated  the  immediate  pn»> 
ence  of  Indians  in  our  neighborhood.  The 
buffalo,  too,  which  the  day  l^fore  had  lieen  ao 
numerous,  were  nowhere  in  sight — another 
sure  indication  that  there  were  people  near. 
Riding  on,  we  discovered  the  carcass  of  a 
buffalo  recently  killed — perhaps  the  day  be- 
fore. We  scanned  the  horizon  carefully 
with  the  glass,  but  no  living  object  was  to  be 
seen.  For  the  next  mile  or  two,  the  ground 
was  dotted  with  buffalo  carcasses,  which 
showed  that  the  Indians  had  made  a  surround 
here,  and  were  in  considerable  force.  We 
went  on  quickly  and  cautiously,  keeping  the 
river  bottom,  and  carefully  avoiding  the  hills  • 
but  we  met  with  no  interruption,  and  began 
to  grow  careless  again.  We  had  already 
lost  one  of  our  horses,  and  here  Basil's  mule 
showed  symptoms  of  giving  out,  and  finally 
refused  to  advance,  being  what  the  Canadiana 
call  resii.  He  therefore  dismounted,  and 
drove  her  along  before  him ;  but  this  was  a 
very  slow  way  of  travelling.  We  had  inad- 
vertently got  about  half  a  mile  in  advance, 
but  our  Cheyennes,  who  were  generally  a 
mile  or  two  in  the  rear,  remained  with  him. 
There  were  some  dark-looking  objects  among 
the  hills,  about  two  miles  to  the  left,  hfere  low 
and  undulating,  which  we  had  seen  for  a 
little  time,  and  supposed  to  be  iniffalo  coming 
in  to  water :  but,  happening  to  look  behind. 
Ma  .X well  saw  the  Cheyennes  whipping  up 
furiously,  and  another  glance  at  the  dark 
objects  showed  them  at  once  to  be  Indians 
coming  up  at  speed. 

Had  we  been  well  mounted,  and  disen- 
cumbered of  instruments,  we  might  have  set 
them  at  defiance ;  but  as  it  was,  we  were 
fairly  caught.  It  was  too  late  to  rejoin  our 
friends,  and  we  endeavored  to  gain  a  clump 
of  timber  about  half  a  mile  ahead ;  but  Uie 
instruments  and  the  tired  state  of  our  horsee 
did  not  allow  us  to  go  faster  than  a  steady 
canter,  and  they  were  gaining  on  ua  fast. 
At  first,  they  did  not  appear  to  be  more  than 
fifteen  or  twenty  in  number,  but  group  after 
group  darted  into  view  at  the  top  of  the  hiUt, 
until  all  the  little  eminences  seemed  in  mo- 
tion, and,  in  a  few  minutes  from  the  time 
they  were  first  discovered,  two  or  three  hun- 
dred, naked  to  the  breech  cloth,  were  sweep- 
ing across  the  prairie.  In  a  few  hundred 
yards  we  discovered  that  the  timber  we  were 
endeavoring  to  make  was  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river ;  and  before  we  coula  reach 
the  bank,  down  came  the  Indians  upon  us. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  in  a  few  sec- 
onds more  the  leading  man,  and  perh^ 
some  of  his  companions,  would  have  rolled 
in  the  dust ;  for  we  had  jerked  the  coven 
from  our  guns,  and  our  lingers  were  oa  tiM 
triggers;  men  in  such  cases  genentUy  Mt 
from  instinct,  and  a  charge  from  three  hun* 
dred  naked  savages  is  a  circumstanee  not 


ft 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[isa. 


wvU  ealenlatod  to  promote  a  cool  exercise  of 
jodgment.    Just  as  he  was  about  to  fire, 
Maxwell  reco|^ized  the  leading  Indian,  and 
■honted  to  him   in  the  Indian   language, 
"  You're  a  fool,  G —  damn  you,  doirt  you 
know  tr.eV'    The  sound  of  his  own  lan- 
guage seemed  to  shock  the  savaee,  and, 
swerving  his  horse  a  little,  he  passed  us  like 
an  arrow.    He  wheeled,  as  I  rode  out  toward 
him,  and  gave  me  his  hand,  striking^  his 
breast  and  exclaiming  "  Arapah6 !"    They 
proved  U>  be  a  village  of  that  nation,  among 
whom  Muxwell  had  resided  as  a  trader  a  year 
or  two  previously,  and  recognized  him  ac- 
cordingly.    We  were  soon  m  the  midst  of 
the  bami,  answering  as  well  as  we  could  a 
multitude  of  questions ;  of  which  the  very 
first  was,  of  what  tribe  were  our  Indian  com- 
panions who  wore  coming  in  the  rear  7    They 
seemed  disappointed  to  know  that  they  were 
Chey^nnes,  'or  they  had  fully  anticipated  a 
grand  dance  a  round  a  Pawnee  scalp  that  night. 
1'he  chief  Kliowed  us  his  village  at  a  grove 
on  the  river  &ix  miles  ahead,  and  pointed  out 
a  band  of  buflalo  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Platte,  immptliately  opposite  u?,  which  he 
said  they  were  going  to  surround.     They  had 
seen  the  band  early  in  the  morning  from  their 
village,  and  had  been  making  a  large  circuit, 
to  avoid  giving  them  the  wind,  when  they 
discovered  us.    In  a  few  minutes  the  women 
came  galloping  up,  astride  on  their  horses, 
and  naked  from  their  knees  down,  and  the 
bips  up.     They  followed  tiie  men,  to  assist 
in  cutting  up  and  carrying  off  the  meat. 

The  wind  was  blowing  directly  across  the 
river,  and  the  chief  requested  us  to  halt  where 
we  were  for  awhile,  in  order  to  avoid  raising 
the  herd.  We  therefore  unsaddled  our  horses, 
and  sat  down  on  the  bank  to  view  the  scene ; 
and  our  new  acquaintances  rode  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  lower  down,  and  began  crossing 
the  river.  Scores  of  wild-looking  dogs  fol- 
lowed, looking  like  troops  of  wolves,  and 
having,  in  fact,  but  very  little  of  thp  dog  in 
their  composition.  Some  of  them  remained 
with  us,  and  I  checked  one  of  the  men,  whom 
I  found  aiming  at  one,  which  he  was  about  to 
kill  for  a  wolf.  The  day  had  become  very 
hot.  The  air  was  clear,  with  a  very  slight 
breeze  *,  and  now,  at  12  o'clock,  while  the  ba- 
rometer stood  at  26.920,  the  attached  thermo- 
meter was  at  1 08".  Our  Cheyennes  had  learn- 
ned  that  with  the  Arapaho  village  were  about 
twenty  lodges  oftheir  own,  including  theirown 
families  ;  they  therefore  immediately  com- 
menced making  their  toilette.  After  bathing  in 
the  river,  they  invested  themselves  in  some 
handsonje  calico  shirts,  which  I  afterward 
learned  tliey  had  ptolen  from  my  own  men,  and 
spent  some  time  in  arranging  their  hair  and 
painting  themselves  with  some  vermilion  I 
nad  given  them.  While  they  were  engaged 
in  this  satisfiEictory  manner,  one  oi  their  half- 


wild  horses,  to  which  the  crowd  of  praneiB* 
animals  which  had  just  passed  had  rectdM 
the  freedom  of  her  existence  among  the  wild 
droves  on  the  prairie,  suddenly  dashed  loto 
the  hills  at  the  top  of  her  speed.  She  irai 
their  pack  horse,  and  had  on  her  back  al  tha 
worldly  wealth  of  our  poor  Cheyennes  all 
their  accoutrements,  and  all  the  little  arti  Jea 
which  they  had  picked  up  among  us,  ^'ith 
some  few  presents  I  had  given  them.  'Ohe 
loss  which  they  seemed  to  regret  most  w^re 
their  spears  and  shields,  ana  some  tobacco 
which  they  had  received  from  me.  Howe\'er, 
they  bore  it  all  with  the  philosophy  of  an  In- 
dian, and  laughingly  continued  their  toilette. 
They  appeared,  however,  a  little  mortified  at 
the  thought  of  returning  to  the  village  in  such 
a  sorry  plight.  "  Our  people  will  laugh  at 
us,"  said  one  of  them,  "  returning  to  the  vil* 
lage  on  foot,  instead  of  driving  back  a  drove 
of  Pawnee  horses."  He  demanded  to  know 
if  I  loved  my  sorrel  hunter  very  much  ;  to 
which  I  replied,  he  was  the  object  of  my 
most  intense  affection.  Far  from  being  able 
to  give,  I  was  myself  in  want  of  horses;  and 
any  suggestion  of  parting  with  the  few  I  had 
valuable,  was  met  with  a  peremptory  refusal. 
In  the  meantime,  the  slaughter  was  about  to 
commence  on  the  other  side.  So  soon  aii 
they  reached  it,  the  Indians  separated  into 
two  bodies.  One  parly  proceeded  directly 
across  the  prairie,  towards  the  hills,  in  an 
extended  line,  while  the  other  went  up  the. 
river  ;  and  instantly  as  they  had  given  the 
wind  to  the  herd,  the  chase  commenced.  The 
buffalo  started  for  the  hills,  but  were  inter 
cepted  and  driven  back  toward  the  river 
broken  and  running  in  every  direction.  Th» 
clouds  of  dust  poon  covered  the  whole  scene 
preventing  us  from  having  any  but  an  occa 
sional  view.  It  had  a  very  singular  appear 
ance  to  us  at  a  distance,  especially  whei 
looking  with  the  glass.  We  were  too  far  tt 
hear  the  report  of  the  guns,  or  any  sound ; 
and  at  every  instant,  through  the  clouds  of 
dust,  which  the  sun  made  luminous,  we  could 
see  for  a  moment  two  or  three  bufl&lo  dashing 
along,  and  close  behind  them  an  Indian  wito 
his  long  spear,  or  other  weapon,  and  instantly 
again  they  disappeared.  The  apparent  si- 
lence, and  the  dimly  seen  figures  nitting  by 
with  such  rapidity,  gave  it  a  kind  of  dreamy 
effect, and  seemed  more  like  a  picture  thant 
scene  of  real  life.  It  had  been  a  large  herd 
when  the  ceme  commenced,  probably  three 
or  four  hundred  in  number  ;  but,  though  1 
watched  them  closely,  I  did  not  see  one 
emerge  from  the  fatal  cloud  where  the  work 
of  destruction  was  going  on.  After  remain 
ing  here  about  an  hour,  we  resumed  our 
journey  in  the  direction  ot  the  village. 

Gradually,  as  we  rode  on,  ludiaji  after  In- 
dian came  dropping  along,  tjd<iu  with  meat ; 
and  by  the  time  we  had  /4«;e<i  the  lodgeii 


IMS] 

the  backwa 
turning  hoi 
tmst  with  tl 
elling.    Se' 
us,  and  on( 
lodge.     Th( 
hundred  an 
twenty  wen 
a  little  apa 
were  dispos 
bides  of  a  I 
hundred  an 
iJong  the  ri 
marked  nea 
tripod  frame 
birch,   scraf 
affixed  the  s 
weapons  of 
clean,  the  s{ 
and  the  shi 
minded  me  ( 
and  when,  a 
me  impulse, 
iihields  with 
e.xpected  a 
lodge  and  re 
of  tiie  lodge 
upon,  and  t( 
wooden  dish 
pipe  in  the 
Deen  passed 
ner  while  li 
iially,  five  c 
took  their  se 
finished,  oui 
dons  relativi 
which  I  mac 
simply  that 
country,  pre 
military  posi 
Although  tij 
eat  interest  i 
lated  to  plei 
sion  of  surp 
^ave   court 
others   listei 
tliat  in  taki 
each  had  tt 
rapid   glanc 
!:^pirit,  befoi 
storm  had  b 
and  some 
ivarned  us 
camp.     Son 
bundle  of 
eeptable,  as 
upon  our  ho 
face  of  a 
We    found 
densely  iolk 
up  the  rivei 
trunk  of  a 
which  the 
nthere  am 


[isa. 

>d  of  pnneiai 
had  recdlaa 
mong  the  vild 
y  dashed  Uito 
ed.     She  'na 
erback  al  the 
heyennea  all 
e  little  arti  -Jes 
nong  UB,  ^  'ith 
them.    'I'he 
ret  most  wjr 
some  tobacco 
ne.  HoweTCr, 
ophy  of  an  In- 
their  toilette, 
tie  mortified  at 
village  in  such 
will  laugh  at 
ling  to  the  tU> 
r  back  a  drove 
Einded  to  know 
ery  much  ;  to 
object  of  my 
om  being  able 
of  horses ;  and 
I  the  few  I  had 
nptory  refusal. 
r  was  about  to 
So  soon  us 
separated  into 
ceded  directly 
10  hills,  in  ao 
if  went  up  thi 
had  given  the 
imenced.   Th( 
lut  were  inter 
ard  the  river 
[irection.    Thi 
e  whole  scene 
y  but  an  occa 
ngular  appear 
ipecially  whei 
were  too  far  te 
or  any  sound, 
the  clouds  of 
inous,  we  could 
bufl&lo  dashing 
an  Indian  witE 
a,  and  instantly 
le  apparent  si- 
iires  flitting  by 
kind  of  dream; 
,  picture  than  t 
m  a  large  herd 
probably  three 
but,  though  1 
1  not  see  one 
vhere  the  work 
After  remain 
3  resumed  our 
le  village. 
Indian  after  In> 
i<in  with  meat ; 
;«<il  the  lodgeii 


K4>] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


the  backward  road  waa  covered  with  th<>  re- 
turning horsemen.  It  was  a  pleasar  '^n* 
trtst  with  the  desert  road  we  had  beer  inw- 
elling.  Several  had  joined  company  with 
U8,  and  one  of  the  chiefs  invited  us  to  his 
lodge.  The  village  consisted  of  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  lodges,  of  which 
twenty  were  Cheyennes ;  the  latter  pitched 
&  little  apart  from  the  Arapahoes.  They 
were  disposed  in  a  scattering  manner  on  both 
bides  of  a  broad  irregular  street,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide,  and  running 
iJong  the  river.  A.s  we  rode  along,  I  re- 
marked near  some  of  the  lodges  a  kind  of 
tripod  frame,  formed  of  three  slender  poles  of 
birch,  scraped  very  clean,  to  which  were 
affixed  the  shield  and  spear,  with  some  other 
weapons  of  a  chief.  All  were  scrupulously 
clean,  the  spear  head  was  burnished  bright, 
and  the  shield  white  and  stainless.  It  re- 
minded me  of  the  days  of  feudal  chivalry ; 
and  when,  as  I  rode  by,  I  yielded  to  the  pass- 
ing imptiliie,  and  touched  one  of  the  spotless 
ijhields  with  the  muzzle  of  my  gun,  I  almost 
e.xpected  a  grim  warrior  to  start  from  the 
lodge  and  resent  my  challenge.  The  master 
of  the  lodge  spread  out  a  robe  for  me  to  sit 
upon,  and  the  squaws  set  before  us  a  large 
wooden  dish  of  buffalo  meat.  He  had  lit  his 
pipe  in  the  mean  while,  and  when  it  had 
tieen  passed  around,  we  commenced  our  din- 
ner while  he  continued  to  smohe.  Grad- 
ually, five  or  six  other  chiefs  came  in,  and 
took  their  seats  in  silence.  When  we  had 
finished,  our  host  asked  a  number  of  ques- 
lions  relative  to  the  object  of  our  journey,  of 
which  I  made  no  concealment ;  telling  him 
simply  that  I  had  made  a  vi.sit  to  see  the 
country,  preparatory  to  the  establishment  of 
military  posts  on  the  way  to  the  mountains. 
Although  this  was  information  af  the  high- 
est interest  to  them,  and  by  no  means  calcu- 
lated to  please  them,  it  excited  no  expres- 
sion of  surprise,  and  in  no  way  altered  the 
^ave  courtesy  of  their  demeanor.  The 
others  listened  and  smoked.  I  remarked, 
tliat  in  taking  the  pipe  for  the  first  time, 
ffach  had  turned  the  stem  upward,  with  a 
rapid  glance,  as  in  offering  to  the  Great 
Spirit,  before  he  put  it  in  his  mouth.  A 
storm  had  been  gathering  for  tlie  past  hour, 
and  some  pattering  drops  on  the  lodge 
^varned  us  that  we  had  some  miles  to  our 
camp.  Some  Indian  had  given  Maxwell  a 
bundle  of  dried  meat,  which  was  very  ac- 
ceptable, as  we  had  nothing ;  and,  springing 
upon  our  horsep,  we  rode  off  at  dusk  in  the 
face  of  a  cold  shower  and  driving  w^ind. 
We  found  oui  companions  under  some 
densely  foliaged  old  trees,  about  three  miles 
up  the  river.  Under  one  of  them  lay  the 
trunk  of  a  large  cotton-wood,  to  leeward  of 
which  the  men  had  kindled  a  fire,  and  we 
nt  here  and  roasted  our  meat  in  tolerable 


shelter.  Nearly  oppoiute  was  the  month  of 
one  of  the  most  considerable  affluents  of  the 
South  fork,  la  Fvirche  aux  Castors  (Beaver 
fork),  heading  off  in  the  ridge  to  the  south* 
east. 

July  9. — This  morning  we  caught  the 
first  faint  glimpse  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
about  sixty  miles  distant.  Though  a  toler- 
ably bright  day,  there  was  a  slight  mist,  and 
we  were  just  able  to  discern  the  snowy  sunt- 
mit  of  "  Long's  peak"  ("  les  dexix  oreilles  " 
of  the  Canadians),  showing  like  a  small 
cloud  near  the  horizon.  I  found  it  easily 
distinguishable,  there  being  a  perceptible 
difference  In  its  appearance  from  the  white 
clouds  that  were  floating  about  the  sky.  I 
was  pleased  to  find  thpl  among  the  traders 
and  voyageurs  the  name  of  "  Long's  peak  ** 
had  been  adopted  and  become  familiar  in  the 
country.  In  the  ravines  near  this  place,  s 
light  brown  sandetone  made  its  first  appear- 
ance. About  8,  we  discerned  .'feveral  per- 
sons on  horseback  a  mile  or  two  ahead,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  They  turned 
in  towards  the  river,  and  we  rode  down  to 
meet  them.  We  found  them  to  be  two 
white  men,  and  a  mulatto  named  Jim  Beck- 
with,  who  had  left  St.  Louis  when  a  boy, 
and  gone  to  live  with  the  Crow  Indians. 
He  had  distinguished  himself  among  them 
by  some  acts  of  daring  bravery,  and  had 
risen  to  the  rank  of  a  chief,  but  had  now,  for 
some  years,  left  them.  They  were  m  search 
of  a  band  of  horses  that  had  gone  off  from  a 
camp  some  miles  above,  in  charge  of  Mr. 
Chabonard.  Two  of  them  continued  down 
the  river,  in  search  of  the  horses,  and  the 
American  turned  back  with  us,  and  we  rode 
on  towards  the  camp.  About  eight  miles 
from  our  sleeping  place  we  reached  Bijou's 
fork,  an  affluent  of  the  right  bank.  Where 
we  crossed  it,  a  short  distance  from  the 
Platte,  it  has  a  sandy  bed  about  four  hun- 
dred yards  broad ;  the  water  in  various 
small  streams,  a  few  inches  deep.  Seven 
miles  further  brought  us  to  a  camp  of  some 
four  or  five  whites  (New  Englanders,  I  be- 
lieve), who  had  accompanied  Captain  Wyeth 
to  the  Columbia  river,  and  were  independent 
trappers.  All  had  their  squaws  with  them, 
and  I  was  really  surprised  at  the  number  of 
little  fat  buffalo-fed  boys  that  were  tumbling 
about  the  camp,  all  apparently  of  the  same 
age,  about  three  or  four  years  old.  They 
were  encamped  on  a  rich  bottom,  covered 
with  a  profusion  of  fine  grass,  and  had  a 
large  number  of  fine-looking  horses  and 
mules.  We  rested  with  them  a  few  mui- 
utes,  and  in  about  two  miles  arrived  at  Cha- 
bonard's  camp,  on  an  island  in  the  Platte. 
On  the  heights  above,  we  met  the  first  Span- 
iard I  had  seen  in  the  country.  Mr.  Chabo- 
nard was  in  the  service  of  Bent  and  St. 
Vrain's  company,  and  had  left  their  foit 


CAPT.  PrtEMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[\Ui 


forty  or  fifty  miles  above,  in  the  spring, 
with  boats  laden  with  the  furs  of  the  last 
year's  trade.  He  had  met  the  same  fortune 
u  the  voyageurs  on  the  North  fork,  and, 
finding  it  impossible  to  proceed,  had  taken 
up  his  summer's  residence  on  thia  island, 
which  lie  had  named  St.  Helena.  The 
river  hills  appeared  to  be  composed  entirely 
of  sand,  and  the  Platte  had  lost  the  muddy 
character  of  its  waters,  and  here  was  toler- 
ably clear.  From  the  mouth  of  the  South 
fork,  I  had  found  it  occasionally  broken  up 
by  small  islands ;  and  at  the  time  of  our 
journey,  which  was  at  a  season  of  the  year 
when  the  waters  were  at  a  favorable  stage, 
it  was  not  navigable  for  anything  drawing 
six  i  aches  water.  The  current  was  very 
iwifl  —the  bed  of  the  stream  a  coarse  gravel. 

Fiom  the  place  at  which  we  had  encoun- 
tered the  Arapahocs,  the  Platte  had  been 
tolerably  well  fringed  with  timber,  and  the 
island  here  had  a  fine  grove  of  very  large 
cotton-woods,  under  whose  broad  shade  the 
tents  were  pitched.  There  was  a  large 
drove  of  horses  in  the  opposite  prairie  bot- 
tom; smoke  was  rising  from  the  scattered 
fires,  and  the  encampment  had  quite  a  pa- 
triarchal air.  Mr.  C.  received  us  hospita- 
bly. One  of  the  people  was  sent  to  gatlier 
mint,  with  the  aid  of  which  ho  concocted 
very  good  julep ;  and  some  boiled  butfalo 
tongue,  and  coffee  with  the  luxury  of  sugar, 
were  soon  set  before  us.  The  people  in  his 
employ  were  generally  Spaniards,  and 
among  them  I  saw  a  young  Spanish  woman 
from  Taos,  whom  I  found  to  be  Beckwith's 
wife. 

Jt/ifj  10. — We  parted  with  our  hospitable 
host  after  breakfast  the  next  morning,  and 
reached  St.  Vrain's  Fort,  about  forty-five 
miles  from  St.  Helena,  late  in  the  evening. 
This  poet  is  situated  on  the  South  fork  of 
the  Platte,  immediately  under  the  moun- 
tains, about  seventeen  miles  east  of  Long's 
peak.  It  is  on  the  right  bank,  on  the  verge 
of  the  upland  prairie,  about  forty  feet  above 
the  river,  of  which  the  immediate  valley  is 
aboat  six  hundred  yards  wide.  The  stream 
is  divided  into  various  branches  by  small 
islaods,  among  which  it  runs  with  a  swift 
current.    The  bed  of  the  river  is  sand  and 

Eavel,  the  water  very  clear,  and  here  may 
called  a  mountain  stream.  This  region 
appears  to  be  entirely  free  from  tlie  lime- 
stones and  marls  which  give  to  the  Lower 
Platte  its  yellow  and  dirty  color.  The  Black 
hills  lie  between  the  stream  and  the  moun- 
tains, whose  snowy  peaks  glitter  a  few 
miles  beyond.  At  the  fort  we  found  Mr.  St. 
Vrain,  who  received  us  with  much  kindness 
and  hospitality.  Maxwell  had  spent  the  last 
two  ortniee  years  between  this  post  and  the 
Tillage  of  Taos ;  and  here  he  was  at  home, 
•ad  among  his  friends.  Spaniards  frequently 


I  come  over  in  search  of  employment ;  an4 

I  several  came  in  shortly  after  our  arrival. 
They  usually  obtain  about  six  dollars  i 
month,  generally  paid  to  them  in  goodi, 
They  are  very  useful  in  a  camp,  in  takinc 
care  of  horses  and  mules ;  and  I  engagid 
one,  who  proved  to  be  an  active,  laborioui 
man,  and  was  of  very  considerable  servics 
to  me.  The  elevation  of  the  Platte  here  it 
five  thousand  four  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea.  The  neighboring  mountains  did  not 
appear  to  enter  far  the  region  of  perpetual 
snow,  which  was  generally  confined  to  the 
northern  side  of  the  peaks.  On  the  souths 
em,  I  remarked  very  little.  Here  it  appear, 
ed,  so  far  as  I  could  judge  in  the  distance, 
to  descend  but  a  few  hundred  feet  below  the 
summits. 

I  regretted  that  time  did  not  permit  me  to 
visit  them ;  but  the  proper  object  of  my  sur- 
vey lay  among  the  mountains  further  north ; 
and  I  looked  forward  to  an  exploration  oi 
their  snowy  recesses  with  great  pleasure. 
The  piney  region  of  the  mountains  to  the 
south  was  enveloped  in  smoke,  and  I  was 
informed  had  been  on  fire  for  several  months. 
Pike's  peak  is  said  to  be  visible  from  fliis 
place,  about  one  hundred  miles  to  the  south 
ward ;  but  the  smoky  state  of  the  atmosphere 
prevented  my  seeing  it.     The  weather  con- 

^tinned  overcast  during  my  stay  here,  so  that 
I  failed  in  determining  the  latitude,  but  ob- 
tained good  observations  for  lime  on  the 
mornings  of  the  11th  and  12th.  An  assum- 
ed latitude  of  40°  22'  30"  from  the  evening 
position  of  the  12th,  enabled  me  to  obtain, 
for  a  tolerably  correct  longitude,  106*  12' 
12'^ 

July  12. — The  kindness  of  Mr.  St.  Vrain 
had  enabled  me  to  obtain  a  couple  of  horses 
and  three  good  mules ;  and,  with  a  further 
addition  to  our  party  of  the  Spaniard  whom 
I  had  hired,  and  two  others,  wno  were  going 
to  obtain  service  at  Laramie's  fork,  we  re- 
sumed our  journey  at  10,  on  the  morning  of 
the  12th.  We  had  been  able  to  procure 
nothing  at  the  post,  in  the  way  of  provision. 
An  expected  supply  from  Taos  had  not  yet 
arrivea,  and  a  few  pounds  of  coffee  was  all 
that  could  be  spared  to  us.  In  addition  to 
this,  we  had  dried  meat  enough  for  the  first 
day ;  on  the  next,  we  expected  to  find  buf- 
falo. From  this  post,  according  to  the  esti- 
mate of  the  country,  the  fort  at  the  mouth 
of  Laramie's  fork,  which  was  our  next 
point  of  destination,  was  nearly  due  north, 
distant  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miles. 

For  a  short  distance,  our  road  lay  down 
the  valley  of  the  Platte,  which  resembled  a 
garden  in  the  splendor  of  fields  of  varieii 
nowers,  which  filled  the  air  with  fragrance. 
The  only  timber  I  noticed,  consisted  of  p(»> 

I  lar,   birch,  cotton-wood,  and  willow,     la 


[l§4t 

loyment;  ud 
'  our  arrinl. 
six  dollars  t 
em  in  goodi, 
mp,  in  takins 
nd  I  cngagM 
ive,  iaborioui 
Table  nervice 
Platte  here  ii 
;et  above  tht 
itains  did  not 
of  perpetual 
miincd  to  the 
)n  the  south- 
ere  it  appear 
the  distance, 
feet  below  the 

permit  me  to 
ct  of  mj  Bur- 
further  north ; 
jxploration  of 
eat  pleasure, 
ntains  to  the 
e,  and  I  was 
vcral  months, 
ble  from  Oiis 
1  to  the  south 
e  atmosphere 
weather  con- 
here,  so  that 
itude,  but  ob- 
(jme  on  the 
An  assum- 
1  the  evening 
ne  to  obtain, 
ide,  106*  12' 

^r.  St.  Vrain 
pie  of  horses 
vith  a  further 
aniard  whom 
0  were  going 

fork,  we  re- 
18  morning  of 
3  to  procure 
of  provision. 

had  not  yet 

offee  was  all 

addition  to 

for  the  first 

to  find  buf- 
g  to  the  esti- 
It  the  mouth 
IS  our  next 
ly  due  north, 
i  twenty-five 

)ad  lay  down 
resembled  a 

[ds  of  varied 

th  fragrance. 

listed  of  pop* 
willow,     u 


1643.] 


CAFF.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


lomething  less  than  three  miles,  we  crossed 
Thompson's  creek,  one  of  the  affluents  to  the 
left  bank  of  the  South  fork — a  fine  stream 
ibout  sixty-five  feet  wide,  and  three  feet 
deep.  Journeying  on,  the  low  dark  line  of 
the  Black  hills  lying  between  us  and  the 
mountains  to  the  left,  in  about  ten  miles 
from  the  fort,  wo  reached  Cache  d  la  Poudre, 
where  we  halted  to  noon.  This  is  a  very 
beautiful  mouiitain  stream,  about  one  hun- 
dred feet  wide,  flowing  with  a  full  swift  cur- 
rent over  a  rocky  bed.  We  halted  under 
the  shade  of  some  cotton-woods,  with  which 
the  stream  is  wooded  scatteringly.  In  tlie 
upper  part  of  its  course,  it  runs  amid  the 
wildest  mountain  scenery,  and,  breaking 
through  the  Black  hills,  falls  into  the  Platte 
about  ten  miles  below  this  place.  In  the 
course  of  our  late  journey,  I  had  managed 
to  become  the  possessor  of  a  very  untracta- 
ble  mule — a  perfect  vixen — and  her  I  had 
turned  over  to  my  Spaniard.  It  occupied  us 
tbout  half  an  hour  to-day  to  get  the  saddle 
apon  her ;  but,  once  on  her  back,  Josi  could 
not  be  dismounted,  realizing  the  accounts 
given  of  Mexican  horses  aniT horsemanship ; 
and  we  continued  our  route  in  the  after- 
noon. 

At  evening,  we  encamped  on  Crow  (?) 
creek,  having  travelled  about  twenty-eight 
miles.  None  of  the  party  were  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  country,  and  I  had  great 
difficulty  in  ascertaining  what  were  the 
names  of  the  streams  we  crossed  between 
the  North  and  South  forks  of  the  Platte. 
This  I  supposed  to  be  Crow  creek.  It  is 
what  is  called  a  salt  stream,  and  the  water 
stands  in  pools,  having  no  continuous  course. 
A  fine-grained  sandstone  made  its  appear- 
ance in  the  banks.  The  observations  of  the 
nieht  placed  us  in  latitude  40o  42',  longi- 
tude 104"  67'  49".  The  barometer  at  sun- 
set was  26.231 ;  attached  thermometer  at 
66°.  Sky  clear,  except  in  the  east,  with  a 
light  wind  from  the  north. 
,  Julv  13. — ^There  being  no  wood  here,  we 
tued  last  night  the  bois  de  vache,  which  is 
very  plentifm.  At  our  camp  this  morning, 
(he  barometer  was  at  26.236  ;  the  attached 
thermometer  60".  A  few  clouds  were  mov- 
ing through  a  deep  blue  sky,  with  a  light 
wind  from  the  west.  After  a  ride  of  twelve 
miles,  in  a  northerly  direction,  over  a  plain 
covered  with  innumerable  quantities  of  cadi, 
wc  reached  a  small  creek  in  which  there  was 
water,  and  where  several  herds  of  bu&lo 
were  scattered  about  among  the  ravines, 
which  always  aflbrd  good  pasturage.  We 
seem  now  to  be  passing  along  the  base  of  a 
plateau  of  the  Black  hills,  in  which  the  for- 
mation consists  of  marls,  some  of  them  white 
ud  laminated ;  the  country  tc  the  left  rising 
niddenly,  and  falling  off  gradually  and  uni- 
tNmly  to  the  right.    In  five  <x  six  oiiles  of 


a  northeasterly  course,  we  struck  a  high 
ridge,  broken  into  conical  peaks,  on  whoM 
summits  large  boulders  were  gathered  la 
heaps.  The  magnetic  direction  of  the  ridge 
is  northwest  and  southeast,  the  glittering 
white  of  its  precipitous  sides  making  it  visible 
for  many  miles  to  the  south.  It  is  composed 
of  a  soil  earthy  lirnetttono  and  marls,  resem- 
bling that,  hereailer  described,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Chimney  rock,  on  the  North 
fork  of  the  Platte,  easily  worked  by  the  winds 
and  rains,  and  sometimes  moulded  into  very 
fantastic  shapes.  At  the  foot  of  the  northern 
slope  was  the  bed  of  a  creek,  some  forty  feet 
wide,  coming,  by  frequent  falls,  from  th« 
bench  above.  It  was  shut  in  by  high  per- 
pendicular banks,  in  which  were  strata  of 
white  laminated  marl.  Its  bed  was  perfectly 
dry,  and  the  leading  feature  of  the  whole  re- 
gion is  one  of  remarkable  aridity,  and  perfect 
freedom  from  moisture.  In  about  six  miles 
we  crossed  the  bed  of  another  dry  creek ;  and, 
continuing  our  ride  over  a  high  level  prairie, 
a  little  before  sundown  we  came  suddenly 
upon  a  beautiful  creek,  which  revived  us 
with  a  feeling  of  delighted  surprise  by  the 
pleasant  contrast  of  the  deep  verdure  of  its 
banks  with  the  parched  desert  we  had  passed. 
We  had  sufiered  much  to-day,  both  men  and 
hor.«cs,  for  want  of  water ;  having  met  with 
it  but  once  in  our  uninterrupted  march  of 
forty  miles,  and  an  exclusive  meat  diet  ere- 
ates  much  thirst. 

"  Las  beslias  denen  mucha  hambre"  said 
the  young  Spaniard,  inquiringly ;  "  y  la  genie 
tambien,  sBiid  I,  "amigo,  we'll  camp  here." 
A  stream  of  good  and  clear  water  ran  wind- 
ing  about  through  the  little  valley,  and  a 
herd  of  buffalo  were  quietly  feeding  a  little 
distance  below.  It  was  quite  a  hunter's  pa- 
radise ;  and  while  some  ran  down  toward  the 
band  to  kill  one  for  supper,  others  collected 
bois  de  vache  for  a  fire,  there  being  no  wood ; 
and  I  amused  myself  with  hunting  for  plants 
among  the  grass. 

It  will  be  seen,  by  occasional  remarks  on 
the  geological  formation,  that  the  constitu- 
ents of  the  soil  in  these  regions  are  good, 
and  every  day  served  to  strengthen  the  im- 
pression in  my  mind,  confirmed  by  subse- 
quent observation,  that  the  barren  appear- 
ance of  the  country  is  due  almost  entirely  to 
the  extreme  dryness  of  the  climate.  Along 
our  route,  the  country  had  seemed  to  increase 
constantly  in  elevation.  According  to  the 
indication  of  the  barometer,  we  were  at  our 
encampment  6,440  feet  above  the  sea. 

The  evening  was  very  clear,  with  a  fresh 
breeze  from  the  south,  60©  east.  The  baro- 
meter at  sunset  was  24.862,  the  thermometer 
attached  showing  68°.  I  supposed  this  to 
be  a  fork  of  Lodge  Pole  creek,  so  far  aa  I 
could  determine  from  our  uncertain  meaOi 
of  information.     Astronomical  obaorratiBM 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


•«. 


I   I 


I 


II    '■ 


RT«  for  the  camp  a  longitude  of  104"  89' 
",and  latitude  41"  08  31". 
July  14. — The  wind  continued  fresh  from 
the  same  quarter  in  the  morning ;  the  day 
being  clear,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
cloudi  in  the  horizon.  At  our  camp  at  €> 
o'clock,  the  height  of  the  barometer  was 
24.830,  the  attached  thermometer  61o  Our 
course  this  morning  was  directly  north  by 
compaas,  the  variation  being  16°  or  16"  eaHt- 
erly.  A  ride  of  four  miles  brought  us  to 
Lodge  Pole  creek,  which  wo  had  seen  at  its 
mouth  on  the  South  fork ;  crossing  on  the 
way  two  dry  streams,  in  eighteen  miles  from 
our  encampment  of  the  past  night,  we  reach- 
ed a  high  bleak  ridge,  composed  entirely  of 
the  same  earthy  limestone  and  marl  previ- 
ouily  described.  I  had  never  seen  anything 
which  impressed  so  strongly  on  my  mind  a 
feeling  ot  desolation.  The  valley,  through 
which  ran  the  waters  of  Horse  creek,  lay  in 
view  to  the  north,  but  too  far  to  have  any  in- 
fluence Oil  the  immediate  view.  On  the  peak 
of  the  ridge  where  I  was  standing,  some  six 
or  seven  hundred  feet  above  the  river,  the 
wind  was  high  and  bleak ;  the  barren  and 
arid  country  seemed  as  if  it  had  been  swept 
by  fires,  and  in  every  direction  the  same  dull 
a«h-oolored  hue,  derived  from  the  formation, 
met  the  eye.  On  the  summits  were  some 
stunted  pines,  many  of  them  dead,  all  wear- 
ing the  same  ashon  hue  of  dcBolation.  We 
len  the  place  wiiii  pleasure  ;  and,  after  we 
had  descended  several  hundred  feet,  halted 
in  one  of  the  ravines,  which,  at  the  distance 
of  every  mile  or  two,  cut  the  flanks  of  the 
ridge  with  little  rushing  streams,  wearing 
something  of  a  mountam  character.  We 
had  already  begun  to  exchange  the  compara- 
tively barren  lands  for  those  of  a  more  fertile 
character.  Though  the  sandstone  formed  the 
broken  banks  of  the  creek,  yet  they  were 
covered  with  a  thin  grass ;  and  the  fifty  or 
sixty  feet  which  formed  the  bottom  land  of 
the  little  stream  were  clothed  with  very  luxu- 
riant grass,  among  which  I  remarked  willow 
and  cherry  {cerasus  virgin  iaiia) ;  and  a 
quantity  of  gooseberry  and  currant  bushes 
occupied  the  greater  part. 

The  creek  was  three  or  fo  ir  feet  broad, 
and  about  six  inches  deep,  with  a  swift  cur- 
rent of  clear  water,  and  tolerabiy  cool.  We 
had  struck  it  too  low  down  to  i.'nd  the  cold 
water,  which  we  should  have  enjoyed  nearer 
Jo  its  sources.  At  2,  p.  m.,  the  barometer 
was  at  26.050,  the  attached  the.-.Tiometer 
104".  A  day  of  ht't  sunshine,  wii,;  clouds, 
and  moderate  breeze  from  the  south.  Con- 
tinuing down  the  stream,  in  about  f-.nr  irises 
we  reached  its  mouth,  at  one  oi  the  main 
branches  of  Horse  creek.  Look'ng  bark 
upon  the  ridge,  whose  direction  ajiri-are;i  lo 
be  a  little  to  the  north  of  east,  v  o  saw  it 
seamed  at  frequent  intervals  with  the  dark 


lines  of  wooded  streams,  alBuents  of  Um  river 
that  flowed  BO  far  as  we  could  see  along  its 
base.  We  crossed,  in  the  space  of  twelvt 
miles  from  our  noon  halt,  three  or  four  forks 
of  Horse  creek,  and  encamped  at  sunset  on 
the  most  easterly. 

The  fork  on  which  we  encamped  appeared 
to  have  followed  an  easterly  direction  up  to 
this  place  ;  hut  here  it  makes  a  very  sudiien 
bend    to  the   north,   passing   between   two 
ranges  of  precipitous  hills,  called,  as  I  wii 
informed,  Goshen'ft  hole.     There  is  some- 
where in  or  near  tliis  locality  a  place  so  call* 
ed,  but  I  am  not  certain  tliat  it  was  the  place 
of  our  encampment.     Looking  back   upon 
the  spot,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  miles  to  the 
northward,  the  hills   appear  to  chut  in  the 
prairie,  through  which  runs  the  creek,  with 
a  semi-circular  sweep,  which  miffht  very  nip 
turally  be  called  a  hole  in  the  nills.     The 
geological  composition  of  the  ridge  is  the 
same  which  constitutes  the  rock  of  the  Court- 
house and  Chimney,  on  the  North  fork,  which 
appeared  to  me  a  continuation  of  this  ridge. 
Ihe  winds  and  rains  work  this  formation  into 
a  variety  of  singular  forms.     The  pass  into 
Goshen  s  hole  is  about  two  miles  wide,  and 
the  hill  on  the  western  side  imitates,  in  an 
extraordinary   manner,  a   massive   fortified 
place,  with  a  remarkable  fulness  of  detail. 
The  rock  is  marl  and  earthy  limestone,  white, 
without  the  least  appearance  of  vegetation, 
and  much  resembles  masonry  at  a  little  di8< 
tance ;  and   here  it  sweeps  around   a  level 
area  two  or  three  hundred  yards  in  diameter, 
and  in  the  form  of  a  half  moon,  terminating 
on  either  extremity  in  enormous  bastions, 
Along  the  whole  line  of  the  parapets  appear 
domes  and  slender  minarets,  forty  or  fiftj 
feet  high,  giving  it  every  appearance  of  an 
old  fortifieatown.     On  the  waters  of  White 
river,  where  this  formation  exists  in  great 
extent,  it  presents  appearances  which  excite 
the  admiration  of  the  solitary  voyageur,  and 
form  a  frequent  theme  of  their  conversation 
when  speaking  of  the  wonders  of  the  coun- 
try.    Sometimes  it  offers  the  jierfectly  illu- 
sive appearance  of  a  large  city,  with  nume- 
rous streets  and  magnificent  buildings,  among 
wiiich  the  Canadians  never  fail  to  see  their 
cabaret ;  and  sometimes  it  takes  the  form  of 
a  solitary  house,  with  many  large  chambers, 
into  which  they  drive  their  horses  at  night, 
and  sleep  in  these  natural  defences  perfectly 
secure  from  any  attack  of  prowling  savagee, 
Before  reaching  our  camp  at  Goshen's  holt", 
in  cro.ssing  the  immense  detritus  at  the  foo' 
of  the  Castle  rock,  we  were  involved  amidst 
"'inding  'passages  cut  by  the  waters  of  the 
iiill;    anc'i  where,  with  a  breadth  scarcely 
large  em  .iifh  for  the  passage  of  a  horse,  the 
walls  rise,  thirty  and  forty  feet  perpendicular' 
ly.     This  formation  supplies  the  discoloration 
or  the  Platte.     At  sunset,  the  heigiit  of  the 


IMS.] 

■•renrial  c 
tbennomete 
8.  36"  E. 
use  of  the  I 
log  the  ui 
i^ich  place 
longitude  11 

July  16.- 
ler  was  at  i 
day  was  fin 
on  the  BoutI 
same  quartt 
ney  across 
much  to  the 
ingly,  wo  tr 
ao  to  the 
Platte  some 
mie.  The 
among  the 
just  issued  I 
much  distre 
and  it  was 
were  all  br 
reached  at  ] 
the  river,  w 
which  appei 
since. 

Aller  ha 
hours  for  foi 
journey,  an 
came  in  sic 
from  the  riv 
Fort  Platte, 
biUc,  Adami 
the  point  of 
with  the  Pla 
on  the  Sout 
still  unfinis 
(or  rather  h 
open  on  the 
dred  yards  I 
the  Americ 
John,  or  La 
having  mon 
than  tne  for 
is  on  the  lei 
twenty-five 
lofty  walls, 
the  lar,ve  bs 
an  imposin 
lijjht .  '  -  vei 
the  Idiiguag 
ans,  was  p 
the  fine  bac 
the  promin 
strongly  dra 
em  sky,  wl 
whole  form 
beautiful  pii 
Louis  I  ha 
gentleman  i 
was  receive 
•iBcieut  kin 
lae  during  i 


Mi. 

nti  of  ttM  river 
800  along  iti 
laco  of  twelvt 
9  or  four  forks 
I  at  Runset  on 

nped  appeared 
lireclion  up  to 
a  very  suuMen 
between  two 
lied,  as  I  wii 
here  is  some- 
I  place  BO  call* 
was  the  place 
ig  back  upon 
w  miles  to  the 

0  E>hut  in  the 
ie  creek,  with 
[Tiitfht  very  n»f 
le  hills.  The 
i  ridge  is  the 
k  of  the  Couit- 
rth  fork,  which 

1  of  this  ridge, 
formation  into 

The  pass  into 
lilcs  wide,  and 
mitatcs,  in  an 
.ssive  fortified 
less  of  detail, 
nestone,  white, 

of  vegetation, 

at  a  little  di8< 
round  a  level 
ds  in  diameter, 
)n,  terminating 
nous  bastions, 
arapeta  appear 
,  forty  or  fiftj 
jearance  of  an 
iters  of  White 
ixists  in  great 
>s  which  excite 

voyageur,  and 
ir  conversation 
'9  of  the  coun< 
5  perfectly  illu- 
y,  with  nume- 
lildings,  among 
iil  to  see  their 
kes  the  form  of 
arge  chambers, 
lorses  at  night, 
ences  perfectly 
>wling  savagee, 

Goshen's  hoIt>, 
itus  at  the  foot 
involved  amidst 
B  waters  of  the 
-eadth  scarcely 

of  a  horse,  the 
L  perpendicular- 
he  discoloration 
e  height  of  th« 


IMS.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


■nrcuriai  column  wu  96.fi00,  the  attached 
thermometer  80°,  and  wild  moderate  from 
8.  88**  iu  Clouds  covered  the  sky  with  the 
rue  of  the  moon,  but  I  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing the  usual  astronomical  observations, 
i^ich  placed  us  in  latitude  41°  •^"  13",  and 
lonffitude  IO4**  24'  36". 

Jtdy  16. — Ai  6  this  morning,  the  barome- 
ter was  at  25.5Uv  the  thermometer  72** ;  the 
day  was  flne,  with  <)ome  clouds  looking  dark 
on  the  south,  with  u  fresh  breeze  from  tlio 
same  quarter.  We  found  that  in  our  jour- 
ney across  the  country  we  had  kept  too 
much  to  the  eastward.  This  morning,  accord- 
ingly, wo  travelled  by  compass  some  16  or 
30  to  the  west  of  north,  n.id  struck  the 
Platte  some  thirteen  miles  belo>v  Fort  Lara- 
mie. The  day  was  extremely  hot,  and 
among  the  hills  the  wind  seemed  to  have 
just  issued  from  an  oven.  Our  horses  were 
much  distressed,  aa  wo  had  travelled  hard ; 
and  it  was  with  some  dilHculi/  that  they 
wore  all  brought  to  Jlie  Platte ;  which  wo 
reached  at  1  o  clock,  in  riding  in  towards 
the  river,  we  found  the  trail  of  our  carts, 
which  appeared  to  have  passed  a  day  or  two 
since. 

Alter  having  allowed  our  animals  two 
hours  for  food  and  repose,  we  resumed  our 
journey,  and  towards  the  close  of  the  day 
came  in  sight  of  Laramie's  fork.  Issuing 
from  the  river  hills,  we  came  first  in  view  of 
Fort  Platte,  a  post  belonging  to  Messrs.  Sy- 
billc,  Adams  &  Co.,  situated  immediately  in 
the  point  of  land  at  the  junction  of  Laramie 
with  the  Platte.  Like  the  post  we  had  visited 
on  the  South  fork,  it  was  built  of  earth,  and 
still  unfinished,  being  enclosed  with  walls 
(or  rather  houses)  on  three  of  the  sides,  and 
open  on  the  fourth  to  the  river.  A  few  hun- 
dred jiards  brought  us  in  view  of  the  post  of 
the  American  Fur  Company,  called  Fort 
John,  or  Laramie.  This  was  a  large  post, 
having  more  the  air  of  military  construction 
than  tne  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  It 
is  on  the  left  bank,  on  a  rising  ground  some 
twenty-five  feet  above  the  water;  and  its 
lofty  walls,  whitewashed  and  picketed,  with 
the  large  bastions  at  the  angles,  gave  it  quite 
an  imposing  appearance  in  the  uncertain 
li^ht .  ~ '  vening.  A  cluster  of  lodges,  which 
the  language  told  us  belonged  to  Sioux  Indi- 
ans, was  pitched  under  the  walls,  and,  witli 
the  fine  back  ground  of  the  Black  hills  and 
the  prominent  peak  of  Laramie  mountain, 
strongly  drawn  in  the  clear  light  of  the  west- 
em  sky,  where  the  sun  had  already  set,  the 
whole  formed  at  the  moment  a  strikingly 
beautiful  picture.  From  the  company  at  t^". 
Louis  I  had  letters  for  Mr.  Boudeau,  t  .0 
gentleman  in  charge  of  the  post,  by  whom  I 
was  received  with  great  hospitality  and  an 
•fficient  kindness,  which  was  invaluable  to 
BN  during  my  stay  in  the  country.    I  found 


our  people  encamued  on  the  btc<,  a  ihoTt 
distance  above  the  fort.  All  were  well: 
and,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  bountiful  aupper, 
which  cofTco  and  brou  <  made  luxurious  to  u, 
we  soon  forgot  the  fati^rues  of  the  last  tea 
days. 

July  16.— I  found  that,  during  my  absence, 
the  situation  of  atrairs  iiitd  undergone  Monae 
change ;  and  thtt  usual  (juiet  and  somewhat 
monotonous  regulun!  /  ot  the  camp  Ithd  given 
place  to  excitemeitl  and  alarm.  The  oil^* 
cumstances  which  occasioned  this  chang* 
will  be  found  narrated  in  the  following  ex- 
tract from  the  journal  of  Mr.  Preuss,  whioh 
commences  with  the  day  of  our  separation 
on  the  South  fork  of  the  Platte. 

Extract  from  the  journal  0/  Mr.  Pretut. 

"July  6. — We  crossed  the  plateau  or  hig^ 
land  between  the  two  forks  in  about  aix 
hours.  I  let  my  horse  go  as  slow  as  be 
liked,  to  indemnify  us  both  for  the  previous 
hardship;  and  about  noon  we  reached  the 
North  fork.  There  was  no  sign  that  out 
party  had  passed;  we  rode,  therefore,  to 
some  pine  trees,  unsaddled  the  horses,  and 
stretched  our  limbs  on  the  grass,  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  our  company.  After  remaii>> 
ing  here  two  hours,  my  companion  became 
impatient,  mounted  his  horse  again,  and  rode 
oil' down  the  river  to  see  if  he  could  discover 
our  people,  I  felt  so  marode  yet,  that  it  was 
a  horrible  idea  to  me  to  bestride  that  saddle 
again ;  so  I  lay  still.  I  knew  they  could  not 
come  any  other  way,  and  then  my  compa- 
nion, one  of  the  best  men  of  the  company, 
would  not  abandon  me.  The  sun  went 
down ;  he  did  not  come.  Uneasy  I  did  not 
feel,  but  very  hungry ;  I  had  no  provisions, 
but  1  could  make  a  fire ;  and  as  I  espied  two 
doves  in  a  tree,  I  tried  to  kill  one ;  but  it 
needs  a  better  marksman  than  myself  to  lull 
a  little  bird  with  a  rifle.  I  made  a  large 
fire,  however,  lighted  my  pipe — this  true 
friend  of  mine  m  every  emergency — lay 
down,  and  let  my  thoughts  wander  to  the  far 
east.  It  was  not  many  minutes  after  when 
I  heard  the  tramp  of  a  horse,  and  my  faithful 
companion  was  by  my  side.  He  had  found 
the  party,  who  had  been  delayed  by  making 
their  cache,  about  seven  miles  below.  To 
the  good  supper  which  he  brought  with  him 
I  did  ample  justice.  Ho  had  forgotten  salt, 
and  I  tried  the  soldier's  substitute  in  time  of 
W8  r,  and  used  gunpowder ;  but  it  answered 
btfejly — bitter  enough,  but  no  flavor  of  kitchen 
Kuii.  I  slept  well;  and  was  only  disturbed 
by  two  owLs,  which  were  attracted  by  the 
lire,  and  took  their  place  in  the  tree  under 
wliich  wr  'opt.  Tlieir  music  seemed  as 
disagreeabk  to  my  (>  npanion  as  to  myself; 
he  tired  his  rifle  twii^^  and  then  they  let  m 
alone.  ^  il^  k  '"^ 


>  i 


u 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1842  I  1848.] 


"Juiy  7. — At  about  10  o'clock,  the  party 
arrived ;  and  we  continued  our  journey 
through  a  country  which  otiered  but  little  to 
interest  the  traveller.  The  soil  was  much 
more  sandy  than  in  the  valley  below  the  con- 
fluence of  the  forks,  and  the  face  of  the 
country  no  longer  presented  tlie  refreshing 
green  which  had  hitherto  cliaracterizcd  it. 
The  rich  grass  was  now  found  only  in  dis- 
persed spots,  on  low  grounds,  and  on  the 
bottom  land  of  the  streams.  A  long  drought, 
joined  to  extreme  heat,  had  so  parched  up 
the  upper  prairies,  that  they  were  in  many 
places  bald,  or  covered  only  with  a  thin 
growth  of  yellow  and  poor  grass.  The  na- 
ture of  the  soil  renders  it  extremely  suscep- 
tible to  the  vicissitudes  of  the  climate.  Be- 
tween the  forks,  and  from  their  junction  to 
the  Black  hills,  the  formation  consists  of 
marl  and  a  soft  earthy  limestone,  with  grani- 
tic sandstone.  Such  a  formation  cannot  give 
rise  to  a  sterile  soil ;  and,  on  our  return  in 
September,  when  the  country  had  been  wa- 
tered by  frequent  rains,  the  valley  of  the 
Platte  looked  like  a  garden ;  so  rich  was  the 
verdure  of  the  grasses,  and  so  luxuriant  the 
bloom  of  abundant  flowers.  The  wild  sage 
begins  to  make  its  appearance,  and  timber 
is  80  scarce  that  we  generally  made  our  fires 
3f  the  bois  de  vache.  With  the  exception  of 
now  and  then  an  isolated  tree  or  two,  stand- 
ing like  a  light-house  on  the  river  bank, 
there  is  none  whatever  to  be  seen. 

"  July  8. — Our  road  to-day  was  a  solitary 
one.  No  game  made  its  appearance — not 
even  a  buflklo  or  a  stray  antelope ;  and 
nothing  occurred  to  break  the  monotony 
until  about  6  o'clock,  when  the  caravan 
made  a  sudden  halt.  There  was  a  galloping 
in  of  scouts  and  horsemen  from  every  side — 
a  hurrying  to  and  fro  in  noisy  confusion ; 
rifles  were  taken  from  their  cover ;  bullet 
pouches  examined  :  in  short,  there  was  the 
cry  of  '  Indians,'  heard  again.  I  had  be- 
come so  much  accustomed  to  these  alarms, 
that  now  they  made  but  little  impression  on 
me ;  and  before  I  had  time  to  become  excited, 
the  new  comers  were  ascertained  to  be 
whites.  It  was  a  large  party  of  traders  and 
trappers,  conducted  by  Mr.  Bridgcr,  a  man 
well  known  in  the  iiistory  of  the  country. 
As  the  sun  was  low,  and  there  was  a  fine 
grass  patch  not  far  ahead,  they  turned  back 
and  encamped  for  the  night  with  us.  Mr. 
Bridger  was  invited  to  supper ;  and,  after  the 
(able  doth  was  removed,  we  listened  with 
eager  interest  to  an  account  of  their  adven- 
tures. What  they  had  met,  we  would  be 
likely  to  encounter ;  the  cliances  which  had 
befallen  them,  would  probably  happen  to  us ; 
and  we  looked  upon  their  life  as  a,  picture 
of  our  own.  He  informed  us  that  the  con- 
dition of  the  country  had  become  exceeding- 
ly Oangerous,     'I'lie  Sioux,  who  had  been 


badly  disposed,  had  broken  out  into  open 
hostility,  and  in  the  preceding  autumn  hig 
party  had  encountered  them  in  a  severe  en- 
gagement, in  which  a  number  of  lives  had 
been  lost  on  both  sides.  United  with  the 
Cheyenne  and  Gros  Ventre  Indians,  they 
were  scouring  the  upper  country  in  war  jmr- 
ties  of  great  force,  and  were  at  this  time  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Red  Unties,  a  fa- 
mous landmark,  wliich  was  directly  on  our 
path.  They  had  declared  war  upon  every 
living  thing  which  should  be  found  westwawl 
of  that  point ;  tliougli  their  main  object  wag 
to  attack  a  large  camp  of  whites  and  Snake 
Indians,  who  had  a  rendezvous  in  the  Sweet 
Water  valley.  Availing  himself  of  his  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  country,  he  had 
reached  Laramie  by  an  unusual  route  through 
the  Black  hills,  and  avoided  coming  into 
contact  with  any  of  the  scattered  parties. 
This  gentleman  offered  his  services  to  ac- 
company us  so  far  as  the  head  of  the  Sweet 
Water ;  but  the  absence  of  our  leader,  which 
was  deeply  r-^jretted  by  us  all,  rendered  il 
impossible  for  us  to  enter  upon  sucn  ar- 
rangements. In  a  camp  consisting  of  men 
whose  lives  had  been  spent  in  this  country, 
I  expected  to  find  every  one  prepared  for  oo 
currences  of  this  nature  ;  but,  to  my  great 
surprise,  I  found,  on  the  contrary,  that  this 
news  had  thrown  them  all  into  the  greatest 
consternation ;  and,  on  every  side,  I  heard 
only  one  exclamation, '  11  ny  aura  pas  de  vie 
four  nous.'  All  the  night,  scattered  groups 
were  assembled  around  tlie  fires,  smoking 
their  pipes,  and  listening  with  the  greatest 
eagerness  to  exaggerated  details  of  Indian 
hostilities  ;  and  in  the  morning  I  found  the 
camp  dispirited,  and  agitated  by  a  variety  of 
conflicting  opinions.  A  majority  of  the  peo- 
ple wore  strongly  disposed  to  return ;  but 
Clement  Lambert,  with  some  five  or  six  oth- 
ers, professed  their  determination  to  follow 
Mr.  Fremont  to  the  uttermost  limit  of  his 
journey.  The  others  yielded  to  their  re- 
monstrances, and,  somewhat  ashamed  of 
their  cowardice,  concluded  to  advance  at 
least  so  far  as  Laramie  fork,  eastward  of 
which  they  were  aware  no  danger  was  to  be 
apprehended.  Notwithstanding  the  confu- 
sion and  excitement,  we  were  very  early  on 
the  road,  as  tlie  days  were  extremely  hot, 
and  we  were  anxious  to  profit  by  the  fresh- 
ness of  the  morning.  The  soft  marly  form- 
ation, over  which  we  were  now  journeying, 
frequently  offers  to  the  traveller  views  of  re- 
markable and  picturesque  beauty.  To  seve- 
ral of  these  localities,  where  the  winds  aod 
the  rain  have  worked  the  bluff's  into  curioni 
shapes,  the  \ oyageurs  have  given  names  ac- 
cording lu  some  fancied  resemblance.  One 
of  these,  called  the  Court-house,  we  paMtd 
abcui  six  miles  frcm  our  encampment  of  lart 
night,  and  toward  noon  came  in  sight  of  tiN 


celebrated 
distance  of 
called— the 
establishmei 
Nothing  oci 
the  day,  and 
a  march  of 
become  ver 
been  killed, 
into  thin  slii 
todr)' 

"July  10. 
fine  plamly 
surface  of  tl 
tance  of  six 
the  frontiers 
In  the  cours( 
who  were  f( 
Mr.  Bridger 
twenty-four 
the  Chimney 
earthy  limesi 
diminishing 
more  than  tv 
Travellers  w 
placed  its  he 
"July  n. 
is  of  a  varia 
and  Bometinr 
frona  the  Chi 
38  places 
bluffi,  and  fti 
eiderable  cir 
presented  an 
nine  hundred 
liarly  knowr 
made  a  jour 
again  struc 
some  scant 
pasturage  to 
miles  from  th 
a  very  beauti 
water ;  but  i 
80  small,  that 
it,  and  we  th 
ntes,  and  foi 
further  on 
and  Chimnej 
vered  with  ( 
of  cedar,  whi 
mpplied  fron 
or  six  years 
"July  12. 
ment  of  yest 
a  shallow  str 
venty  yards 
the  right  b 
and  great  qu 
upon  the  b 
by  the  creek 
of  twenty-si;( 
bottom,  whic 
Ms..   Bufli 
Wd  we  live 


[1643 

out.  into  open 
ig  autumn  his 
in  a  severe  en- 
;r  of  lives  had 
nited  with  the 
Indians,  they 
itry  in  war  jftr- 
at  this  time  in 
d  Unties,  a  fa- 
directly  on  our 
,ar  upon  every 
found  wcBtwawl 
uain  object  was 
ites  and  Snake 
as  in  the  Sweet 
iselfof  his  inti- 
luntry,  he  had 
al  route  tlirough 
d  coining  into 
attered  parties, 
services  to  ac- 
id of  the  Sweet 
ur  leader,  which 
all,  rendered  it 
upon  sucn  ar- 
[isisting  of  men 
in  this  country, 
prepared  for  oc- 
mt,  to  my  great 
ntrary,  that  this 
nto  the  greatest 
ry  side,  I  heard 
/  aura  pas  de  we 
scattered  groups 
!  fires,  smoking 
ith  the  greatest 
;tails   of  Indian 
ing  I  found  the 
1  by  a  variety  of 
jority  of  the  peo- 
to  return ;  but 
0  five  or  six  oth- 
nation  to  follow 
lost  limit  of  hii 
ded  to  their  re- 
lat  ashamed  oi 
to  advance  at 
ork,  eastward  of 
ianger  was  to  be 
ding  the  confu- 
jre  very  early  on 
i  extremely  hot, 
•ofit  by  the  fresh- 
soft  marly  form- 
now  journeying, 
eller  views  of  re- 
eauty.    To  seve 
re  the  winds  and 
luffs  into  curioM 
given  names  aC' 
semblance.    One 
house,  we  paiied 
ca  rnpment  of  lart 
ne  in  sight  of  thi 


1848.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


St' 


celebrated  Chimmy  rock.  It  looks,  at  thip 
distance  of  about  thirty  miles,  like  what  i'.  'l 
called — the  long  chimney  of  a  steam  factory 
establishment,  or  a  shot  tower  in  Baltimore. 
Nothing  occurred  to  interrupt  the  quiet  of 
the  day,  and  we  encamped  on  the  river,  after 
B  march  of  twenty-four  miles.  Buffalo  had 
become  very  scarce,  and  but  one  cow  had 
been  killed,  of  which  the  meat  had  been  cut 
into  thin  slicea  and  hung  around  the  carts 
to  dry 

"July  10. — We  continued  along  the  same 
fine  plamly  beaten  road,  which  the  smooth 
surface  of  the  country  afforded  us,  for  a  dis- 
tance of  six  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  from 
the  frontiers  of  Missouri  to  the  Laramie  fork. 
In  the  course  of  the  day  we  met  some  whites, 
who  were  following  along  in  the  train  of 
Mr.  Bridger ;  and,  after  a  day's  journey  of 
twenty-four  miles,  encamped  about  sunset  at 
the  Chimney  rock.  It  consists  of  marl  and 
earthy  limestone,  and  the  weather  is  rapidly 
diminishing  its  height,  wiiich  is  now  not 
more  than  two  hundred  feet  above  the  river. 
Travellers  who  visited  it  some  years  since 
placed  its  height  at  upwards  of  500  feet. 

"July  11.— The  valley  of  the  North  fork 
is  uf  a  variable  breadth,  from  one  to  four, 
and  sometimes  six  miles.  Fifteen  miles 
from  the  Chimney  rock  we  reached  one  of 
those  places  where  the  river  strikes  the 
bli^,  and  forces  the  road  to  make  a  con- 
siderable circuit  over  the  uplands.  This 
presented  an  escarpment  on  the  river  of  about 
nine  hundred  yards  in  length,  and  is  fami- 
liarly known  as  Scott's  bluffs.  We  had 
made  a  journey  of  thirty  miles  before  we 
again  struck  the  river,  at  a  place  where 
some  scanty  grass  afforded  an  insufficient 
pasturage  to  our  animals.  About  twenty 
miles  from  the  Chimney  rock  we  had  found 
a  very  beautiful  spring  of  excellent  and  cold 
water ;  but  it  was  in  such  a  deep  ravine,  and 
so  small,  that  the  animals  could  not  profit  by 
it,  and  we  therefore  halted  only  a  few  min- 
utes, and  found  a  resting  place  ten  miles 
farther  on.  The  plain  between  Scott's  bluffs 
and  Chimney  rocK  was  almost  entirely  co- 
vered with  drift  wood,  consisting  principally 
of  cedar,  which  we  were  informed,  had  been 
supplied  from  the  Black  hills,  in  a  flood  five 
or  six  years  since. 

"July  12. — Nine  miles  from  our  encamp- 
ment of  yesterday  we  crossed  Horse  creek, 
a  shallow  stream  of  clear  water,  about  se- 
venty yards  wide,  falling  into  the  Platte  on 
the  right  bank.  It  was  lightly  timbered, 
and  great  quantities  of  drift  wood  were  piled 
up  on  the  banks,  appearing  to  be  supplied 
by  the  creek  from  above.  After  a  journey 
of  twenty-six  miles,  we  encamped  on  a  rich 
bottom,  which  afforded  fine  grass  to  our  ani- 
mals.' Buffalo  have  entirely  disappeared, 
«od  we  live  now  upon  the  dried  meat,  which 


is  exceedingly  poor  food.  The  marl  and 
earthy  limestone,  which  constituted  the 
formation  for  several  days  past,  had  changed 
during  the  day  into  a  compact  white  or  i^rey- 
ish  white  limestone,  sometimes  containing 
hornstone ;  and  at  the  place  of  our  encamp- 
ment this  evening,  some  strata  in  the  river 
hills  cropped  out  to  the  height  of  thirty  or 
forty  feet,  consisting  of  a  fine-grained  gra- 
nitic sandstone ;  one  of  the  strata  closely 
resembling  gneiss. 

"July  13. — To-day,  about  4  o'clock,  we 
reached  Fort  Laramie,  where  we  were  cor- 
dially received  ;  we  pitched  our  camp  a  lit- 
tle above  the  fort,  on  the  bank  of  the  Lara- 
mie river,  in  which  the  pure  and  clear  water 
of  the  mountain  stream  looked  refreshingly 
cool,  and  made  a  pleasant  contrast  to  the 
muddy,  yellow  waters  of  the  Platte." 

I  walked  up  to  visit  our  friends  at  the  fort, 
which  is  a  quadrangular  structure,  built  of 
clay,  after  tiie  fashion  of  the  Mexicans,  who 
are  generally  employed  in  building  them 
The  walls  are  about  fifteen  feet  high,  sur- 
mounted with  a  wooden  palisade,  and  form  a 
portion  of  ranges  of  houses,  which  entirely 
surround  a  yard  of  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  square.  Every  apartment  has  its 
door  and  window — all,  of  course,  opening  on 
the  inside.  There  are  two  entrances,  oppo- 
site each  other,  and  midway  the  wall,  one 
of  which  is  a  large  and  public  entrance ;  the 
other  smaller  and  more  private — a  sort  of 
postern  gate.  Over  the  great  entrance  is  a 
square  tower  with  loopholes,  and,  like  the 
rest  of  the  work,  built  of  earth.  At  two  of 
the  angles,  and  diagonally  opposite  each 
other,  are  large  square  bastions,  so  arranged 
as  to  sweep  the  four  faces  of  the  walls. 

This  post  belongs  to  the  American  Fur 
Company,  and,  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  was 
in  charge  of  Mr.  Boudeau.  Two  of  the 
company's  clerks,  Messrs.  Galpin  and  Kel- 
logg, were  with  him,  and  he  had  in  the  fort 
about  sixteen  men.  As  usual,  these  had 
found  wives  among  the  Indian  squaws ;  and, 
with  the  usual  accompaniment  of  children, 
the  place  had  quite  a  populous  appearance. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  that  the  object 
of  the  establishment  is  trade  with  the  neigh- 
boring tribes,  who,  in  the  course  of  the  year, 
generally  make  two  or  three  visits  to  the 
fort.  In  addition  to  this,  traders,  with  a 
small  outfit,  are  constantly  kept  amongst 
them.  The  articles  of  trade  consist,  on  the 
one  side,  almost  entirely  of  buffalo  robes; 
and,  on  the  other,  of-  blankets,  calicoes, 
guns,  powder  and  lead,  with  such  cheap  or- 
naments as  glass  beads,  ooking-glasses, 
rings,  vermilion  for  painting,  tobacco,  and 
principally,  and  in  spite  of  the  prohibition,  of 
spirits,  brought  into  the  country  in  the  form 
of  alcohol,  and  diluted  with  water  befora 
sold.     While  mentioning  this  fact,  it  is  but 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841. 


nutice  to  the  American  Fur  Company  to 
atate,  that,  throughout  the  country,  I  have 
always  found  them  strenuouBly  opposed  to 
the  introductiDn  of  spirituous  liquors.  But, 
in  the  present  state  of  things,  when  the  coun- 
try is  supplied  with  alcohol,  when  a  keg  of  it 
will  purchase  from  an  Indian  everything  he 
possesses — his  furs,  his  lodge,  his  horses, 
and  even  his  wife  and  children — and  when 
any  vagabond  who  has  money  enough  to 
purchase  a  mule  can  go  into  a  village  and 
trade  against  them  successfully,  without 
withdrawing  entirely  from  the  trade,  it  is 
impossible  for  them  to  discontinue  its  use. 
In  their  opposition  to  this  practice,  the  com- 
pany is  sustained,  not  only  by  their  obliga- 
tion to  the  laws  of  iiie  country  and  the  wel- 
fare of  the  Indians,  but  clearly,  also,  on 
grounds  of  policy ;  for,  with  heavy  and  ex- 
pensive outfits,  they  contend  at  manifestly 
great  disadvantage  against  the  numerous  in- 
dependent and  unlicensed  traders,  who  enter 
the  country  from  various  avenues,  from  the 
United  States  and  from  Mexico,  having  no 
other  stock  in  trade  than  some  kegs  of  li- 
quor, which  they  sell  at  the  modest  price  of 
thirty-six  dollars  per  gallon.  The  difference 
between  the  regular  trader  and  the  coureur 
its  hois  (as  the  JPrench  call  the  itinerant  or 
peddling  traders),  with  respect  to  the  sale 
of  spirits,  is  here,  as  it  always  has  been, 
fixed  and  permanent,  and  growing  out  of  the 
nature  of  their  trade.  The  regular  trader 
looks  ahead,  and  has  an  interest  in  the  pre- 
servation of  the  Indians,  and  in  the  regular 
pursuit  of  their  business,  and  the  preserva- 
tion of  their  arms,  horses,  and  everything 
necessary  to  their  future  and  permanent  suc- 
cess in  hunting :  the  coureur  des  bois  has  no 
permanent  interest,  and  gets  what  he  can, 
and  for  what  he  can,  from  every  Indian  he 
meets,  even  at  the  risk  of  disabling  him 
from  doing  anything  more  at  hunting. 

The  fort  had  a  very  cool  and  clean  appear- 
ance. The  great  entrance,  in  which  I  found 
the  gentlemen  assembled,  and  which  was 
floored,  and  about  fifteen  feet  long,  made  a 
pleasant,  shaded  seat,  through  which  the 
breeze  swept  constantly ;  for  this  country  is 
famous  for  high  winds.  In  the  course  of 
conversation,  I  learned  the  following  parti- 
culars, which  will  explain  the  condition  of 
the  country  :  For  several  years  the  Chey- 
ennen  and  Sioux  had  gradually  become  more 
and  more  hostile  to  the  whites,  and  in  the 
latter  part  of  August,  1841,  had  had  a  rather 
severe  engagement  with  a  party  of  sixty 
men,  under  the  command  of  Mr.  Frapp,  of 
St.  Louis.  The  Indians  lost  eight  or  ten 
warriors,  and  the  whites  had  their  leader  and 
four  men  killed.  This  fight  took  place  on 
the  waters  of  Snake  river ;  and  it  was  this 
party,  on  their  return  under  Mr.  Bridger, 
which  had  spread  so  much  alarm  among  my 


people.  In  the  course  of  the  spring,  two 
other  small  parties  had  been  cut  off  oy  tibe 
Sioux — one  on  their  return  from  the  Crow 
nation,  and  the  other  among  the  Black  hiUg. 
The  emigrants  to  Oregon  and  Mr.  Bridger'i 
party  met  here,  a  few  days  before  our  arri< 
val.  Divisions  and  misunderstandings. had 
grown  up  among  them ;  they  were  already 
somewhat  disheartened  by  the  fatigue  of 
their  long  and  wearisome  journey,  and  the 
feet  of  their  cattle  had  become  so  much 
worn  as  to  be  scarcely  able  to  travel.  In 
this  situation,  they  were  not  likely  to  find 
encouragement  in  the  hostile  attitude  of  the 
Indians,  and  the  new  and  unexpected  diffi< 
culties  which  sprang  up  before  them.  Thej 
were  told  that  the  country  was  entirely 
swept  of  grass,  and  that  few  or  no  buffiilo 
were  to  be  found  on  their  line  of  route  ;  and, 
with  their  weakened  animals,  :l  would  be 
impossible  for  them  to  transport  their  heavy 
wagons  over  the  mountains.  Under  these 
circumstances,  they  disposed  of  their  wagons 
and  cattle  at  the  forts ;  selling  them  at  the 
prices  they  had  paid  in  the  States,  and  tak- 
mg  in  exchange  coffee  and  sugar  at  one  dol- 
lar a  pound,  and  miserable  worn-out  horses, 
which  died  before  they  reached  the  moun> 
tains.  Mr.  Boudeau  informed  me  that  he 
had  purchased  thirty,  and  the  lower  fort 
eighty  head  of  fine  cattle,  some  of  them  of 
the  Durham  breed.  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  whoee 
name  and  high  reputation  are  familiar  to  all 
who  interest  themselves  in  the  history  of 
this  country,  had  reached  Laramie  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Bridger ;  and  the  emigrants 
were  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  his  servicei 
to  guide  them  as  far  as  the  British  post  of 
Fort  Hall,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  milea 
beyond  the  South  Pass  of  the  mountains, 
They  had  started  for  this  post  on  the  4th  of 
July,  and  immediately  after  their  departure, 
a  war  party  of  three  hundred  and  fif^ 
braves  set  out  upon  their  trail.  As  their 
principal  chief  or  partisan  had  lost  some  re- 
lations in  the  recent  fight,  and  had  sworn  to 
kill  the  first  whites  on  his  path,  it  was  sup- 
posed that  their  intention  was  to  attack  the 
party,  should  a  favorable  opportunity  offer; 
or,  if  they  were  foiled  in  their  principal  ob- 
ject by  the  vigilance  of  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  con- 
tent themselves  with  stealing  horses  and 
cutting  off  stragglers.  These  had  been  gone 
but  a  few  days  previous  to  our  arrival. 

The  effect  of  the  engagement  with  Mr. 
Frapp  had  been  greatly  to  irritate  the  hostile 
spirit  of  the  savages ;  and  immediately  sub- 
sequent to  that  event,  the  Gross  Ventre  In- 
dians had  united  with  the  Oglallahs  and 
Cheyennes,  and  taken  the  field  in  great 
force — so  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  to  the 
amount  of  eight  hundred  lodges.  Their  ob- 
ject was  to  make  an  attack  on  a  camp  of 
Snake  and  Crow  Indians,  and  a  body  of 


1149.] 

ibon:  one  1 

lendezvouE 

mlley,   or 

tpenuing  s 

neighborho 

tain,  they 

river  water 

of  the  Sout 

ley.    Acco 

dJans,  Mr. 

somewhere 

Water.     I 

party  led  b; 

by  their  pii 

in  the  val  -e 

skill  and  r 

prise,  and, 

not  ventun 

they  lost  or 

and,  contin 

suddenly    u 

these  they 

Long  resid 

had  given  t 

influence  ai 

were  dispoa 

by  far  the  j 

hostile  mea 

whole  of  01 

the  little  p 

council,  del 

them  the  r 

"the  Broke 

Patrick  (on^ 

tered  by  th 

prevailed,  e 

tested  pass 

him  that  th 

that  any  pa 

after  be  fou 

tain  destruc 

able  to  lean 

grants  owe 

Thus  it 

was  swarm 

and  when  I 

ous  central 

which  were 

was  not  sui 

vailed  amor 

best  and  i 

fully  Buppoi 

of  the  dang 

openly  exp 

could  not 

Ayunters  w 

this,  he  ma( 

cumstances 

to  increase 

unfortunate 

my  party  h? 

that  they  ht 

this  place. 

which  has  I 


[1841 

lie  sprinff,  two 
.  cut  off  Dy  ^ 
from  the  Crow 
the  Black  hiUs. 
1  Mr.  Bridger'i 
before  our  arri- 
irstandingshad 
y  were  already 
the  fatigue  of 
lurney,  and  the 
come  so  much 
to  travel.    In 
I  likely  to  find 
\  attitude  of  the 
inexpected  diffi< 
re  them.    They 
y  was  entirely 
V  or  no  buffido 
!  of  route  ;  and, 
Is,  il  would  be 
>-v*rt  their  heavy 
Under  these 
of  their  wagons 
(ig  them  at  the 
States,  and  tat 
iigar  at  one  dol- 
iTorn-out  horses, 
hed  the  moun- 
ted me  that  he 
the  lower  fort 
)me  of  them  of 
zpatrick,  whose 
e  familiar  to  all 
the  history  of 
Aramie  in  cont' 
I  the  emigrants 
tain  his  services 
British  post  of 
i  and  fifty  miles 
the  mountains. 
8t  on  the  4th  of 
their  departure, 
ndred  and  fifty 
trail.     As  theii 
ad  lost  some  re- 
nd had  sworn  to 
ath,  it  was  sup- 
as  to  attack  the 
[>portunity  oflfer; 
leir  principal  ob- 
PitzpatricK,  con- 
ing horses  and 
Be  Tiad  been  px)W 
»ur  arrival, 
jment  with  Mr, 
rritate  the  hostile 
mmediately  sub- 
jross  Ventre  In- 
3  Oglallahs  and 
i  field  in  great 
LBcertain,  to  the 
Iges.    Their  ob- 
k  on  a  c«mp  of 
and  a  body  d 


1149.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


they  lost  one  of 


ley 

DQ, 


and,  continumg 

suddenly   upon 

these  they  met 

Long  residence 


iboa:  one  hundred  whites,  who  had  maiie  a 
fendezvous  somewhere  in  the  Green  river 
ralley,  or  on  the  Sweet  Water.  After 
spending  some  time  in  bufiklo  hunting  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Medicine  Bow  moun- 
tain, they  were  to  cross  over  to  the  Green 
river  waters,  and  return  to  Laramie  by  way 
of  the  South  Pass  and  the  Sweet  Water  val- 
ley. According  to  the  calculation  of  the  In- 
dians, Mr.  Boudeau  informed  me  they  were 
somewhere  near  the  head  of  the  Sweet 
Water.     I  subsequently    learned  that  the 

a  led  by  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  were  overtaken 
eir  {lursuers  near  Rock  Independence, 
in  the  val  'ey  of  the  Sweet  Water ;  but  his 
skill  and  resolution  saved  them  from  sur- 
prise, and,  small  as  his  force  was,  they  did 
not  venture  to  attack  him  openly.     Here 

their  party  by  an  accident, 
up  the  valley,   they  came 

the   largo   village.       From 

with  a  doubtful  reception. 

and  familiar  acquaintance 
bad  given  to  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  great  personal 
influence  among  them,  and  a  portion  of  them 
were  disposed  to  let  him  pass  quietly ;  but 
by  far  the  greater  number  were  inclined  to 
bo9tile  measures  ;  and  the  chiefs  spent  the 
whole  of  one  night,  during  which  they  kept 
the  little  party  in  the  midst  of  them,  in 
council,  debating  the  question  of  attacking 
them  the  next  day ;  but  the  influence  of 
"the  Broken  Hand,"  as  they  called  Mr.  Fitz- 
patrick (one  of  his  hands  having  been  shat- 
tered by  the  bursting  of  a  gun),  at  length 
prevailed,  and  obtained  for  them  an  unmo- 
lested passage ;  but  they  sternly  assured 
him  that  this  path  was  no  longer  open,  and 
that  any  party  of  whites  which  should  here- 
after be  found  upon  it  would  meet  with  cer- 
tain destruction.  From  all  that  I  have  been 
able  to  learn,  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  emi- 
grants owe  their  lives  to  Mr.  Fitzpatrick. 

Thus  it  would  appear  that  the  country 
was  swarming  with  scattered  war  parties ; 
and  when  I  heard,  during  the  day,  the  vari- 
ous contradictory  and  exaggerated  rumors 
which  were  incessantly  repeated  to  them,  I 
was  not  surprised  that  so  much  alarm  pre- 
vailed among  my  men.  Carson,  one  of  the 
best  and  most  experienced  mountaineers, 
fully  supported  the  opinion  given  by  Bridger 
of  the  dangerous  state  of  the  country,  and 
openly  expressed  his  conviction  that  we 
could  not  escape  without  some  sharp  en- 
A/unters  with  the  Indians.  In  addition  to 
this,  he  made  his  will ;  and  among  the  cir- 
cumstances which  were  constantly  occurring 
to  increase  their  alarm,  this  was  the  most 
unfortunate ;  and  I  found  that  a  number  of 
my  party  had  become  so  much  intimidated, 
that  they  had  requested  to  be  discharged  at 
this  place.  I  dined  to-day  at  Fort  Platte, 
which  has  been  montioned  as  situated  at  the 


junction  of  Laramie  river  with  the  Nebraska. 
Here  I  heard  a  confirmation  of  the  state* 
merits  given  above.  The  party  of  warriors, 
which  had  started  a  few  days  since  on  the 
trail  of  the  emigrants,  was  expected  back  In 
fourteen  days,  to  join  the  village  with  which 
their  families  and  the  old  men  had  remained. 
Tlie  arrival  of  the  latter  was  hourly  expect- 
ed ;  and  some  Indians  have  just  come  in 
who  had  left  them  on  the  Laramie  fork, 
about  twenty  miles  above.  Mr.  Bissonette, 
one  of  the  traders  belonging  to  Fort  Platte, 
urged  the  propriety  of  taking  witii  me  an  in- 
terpreter and  two  or  three  old  men  of  the 
village ;  in  which  case,  he  thought  there 
would  be  little  or  no  hazard  in  encountering 
any  of  the  war  parties.  The  principal 
danger  was  in  being  attacked  before  they 
should  know  who  we  were. 

They  had  a  confused  idea  of  the  numbers 
and  power  of  our  people,  and  dreaded  to 
bring  upon  themselves  the  military  force  of 
the  United  States.  This  gentleman,  who 
spoke  the  language  fluently,  offered  his  ser- 
vices to  accompany  me  so  far  as  the  Red 
Buttes.  lie  was  desirous  to  join  the  large 
party  on  its  return,  for  purposes  of  trade,  and 
it  would  suit  his  views,  as  well  as  my  own, 
to  go  with  us  to  the  Buttes ;  beyond  which 
point  it  would  be  impossible  to  prevail  on  a 
Sioux  to  venture,  on  account  of  their  fear  of 
the  Crows.  From  Fort  Laramie  to  the  Red 
Buttes,  by  the  ordinary  road,  is  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  miles ;  and,  though  only  on 
the  threshold  of  danger,  it  seemed  better  to 
secure  the  services  of  an  interpreter  for  the 
partial  distance,  than  to  have  none  at  all. 

So  far  as  frequent  interruption  from  the 
Indians  would  allow,  we  occupied  ourselves 
in  making  some  astronomical  calculations, 
and  bringing  up  the  general  map  to  this 
stage  of  our  journey ;  but  the  tent  was  gen- 
erally occupied  by  a  succession  of  our  cere- 
monious visitors.  Some  came  for  presents, 
and  others  for  information  of  our  object  in 
coming  to  the  country  ;  now  and  then,  one 
would  dart  up  to  the  tent  on  horseback,  jerk 
off  his  trappings,  and  stand  silently  at  the 
door,  holding  his  horse  by  the  halter,  signi- 
fying his  desire  to  trade.  Occasionally  a 
savage  would  stalk  in  with  an  invitation  to 
a  feast  of  honor,  a  dog  feast,  and  deliberately 
sit  down  and  wait  quietly  until  I  was  ready 
to  accompany  him.  I  went  to  one ;  the 
women  and  children  were  sitting  outside  the 
lodge,  and  wc  took  our  seats  on  buffalo 
robes  spread  around.  The  dog  was  in  a 
large  pot  over  the  fire,  in  the  middle  of  the 
lodge,  and  immediately  on  our  arrival  was 
dished  up  in  large  wooden  bowls,  one  of 
which  was  handed  to  each.  The  flesh  ap- 
peared very  glutinous,  with  something  of  toe 
flavor  and  appearance  of  mutton.  Feelioff 
something  move  behind  me,  I  looked  rouiM^ 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE, 


urn 


i 


II  M 


and  found  tha  t  ]  had  taken  my  seat  among  a 
litter  of  fat  young  puppies.  Had  I  been 
nice  in  such  matters,  the  prejudices  of  civi- 
lisation might  have  interfered  with  my  tran- 
quillity ;  but,  fortunately,  I  am  not  of  deli- 
cate nerves,  and  continued  quietly  to  empty 
myjplatter. 

The  weather  was  cloudy  at  evening,  with 
a  moderate  south  wind,  and  the  thermometer 
at  6  o'clock  86"».  I  was  disappointed  in  my 
hope  of  obtaining  an  observation  of  an  oc- 
cultation,  which  took  place  about  midnight. 
The  moon  brought  with  her  heavy  banks  of 
clouds,  through  which  she  scarcely  made 
her  appearance  during  the  night. 

The  morning  of  the  18th  was  cloudy  and 
calm,  the  thermometer  at  6  o'clock  at  64°. 
About  9,  with  a  moderate  wind  from  the 
west,  a  storm  of  rain  came  on,  accompanied 
by  sharp  thunder  and  lightning,  which  lasted 
about  an  hour.  During  the  day  the  expected 
village  arrived,  consisting  principally  of  old 
men,  women,  and  children.  They  had  a 
considerable  number  of  horses,  and  large 
troops  of  dogs.  Their  lodges  were  pitched 
near  the  fort,  and  our  camp  was  constantly 
crowded  with  Indians  of  all  sizes,  from  morn- 
ing until  night ;  at  which  time  some  of  the 
soldiers  generally  came  to  drive  them  all  off 
to  the  village.  My  tent  was  the  only  place 
which  they  respected.  Here  only  came  the 
chiefs  and  men  of  distinction,  and  generally 
one  of  them  remained  to  drive  away  the  wo- 
men and  children.  The  numerous  strange 
instruments,  applied  to  still  stranger  uses, 
excited  awe  and  admiration  among  them, 
and  those  which  I  used  in  talking  with  the 
sun  and  stars  they  looked  upon  with  especial 
reverence,  as  mysterious  things  of  "  great 
medicine."  Of  the  three  barometers  which 
I  had  brought  with  me  thus  far  successfully, 
I  found  that  two  were  out  of  order,  and  spent 
the  greater  part  of  the  19th  in  repairing 
them — an  operation  of  no  small  difficulty  in 
the  midst  of  the  incessant  interruptions  to 
which  I  was  subjected.  We  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  break  here  a  large  thermometer, 
graduated  to  show  fifths  of  a  degree,  which 
I  used  to  ascertain  the  temperature  of  boil- 
ing water,  and  with  which  I  had  promised 
myself  some  interesting  experiments  in  the 
mountains.  We  had  but  one  remaining,  on 
which  the  graduation  extended  sufficiently 
high ;  and  this  was  too  small  for  exact  ob- 
servations. During  our  stay  here,  the  men 
had  been  engaged  in  making  numerous  re- 
pairs, arranging  pack-saddles,  and  otherwise 
preparing  for  the  chances  of  a  rough  road 
and  mountain  travel.  All  thngs  of  this  na- 
ture being  ready,  I  gathered  them  around 
me  in  the  evening,  and  told  them  that "  I  had 
determined  to  proceed  the  next  day.  They 
were  all  well  armed.  I  had  engaged  the 
lervioes  of  Mr.  Bissonette  as  interpreter,  and 


had  taken,  in  the  circumstances,  every  pan. 
sible  means  to  insure  our  safety.  In  the  m 
mors  we  had  heard,  I  believed  there  wai 
much  exaggeration,  and  then  they  were  men 
accustomea  to  this  kind  of  life  and  to  the 
country ;  and  that  these  were  the  dangers  of 
every  day  occurrence,  and  to  be  expected  in 
the  ordinary  course  of  their  service.  The; 
had  heard  of  the  unsettled  condition  of  the 
country  before  leaving  St.  Louis,  and  there- 
fore could  not  make  it  a  reason  for  breaking 
their  engagements.  Still,  I  was  unwilling 
to  take  with  me,  on  a  service  of  some  cer- 
tain danger,  men  on  whom  I  could  not  rely ; 
and  as  I  had  understood  that  there  were 
among  them  some  who  were  disposed  to 
cowardice,  and  anxious  to  return,  they  had 
but  to  come  forward  at  once,  and  state  their 
desire,  and  they  would  be  discharged  with 
the  amount  due  to  them  for  the  time  they 
had  served."  To  their  honor  be  it  said,  there 
was  but  one  among  them  who  had  the  face 
to  come  forward  and  avail  himself  of  the  per- 
mission. I  asked  him  some  few  questions, 
in  order  to  expose  him  to  the  ridicule  of  the 
men,  and  let  him  go.  The  day  after  oar 
departure,  he  engaged  himself  to  one  of 
the  forts,  and  set  off  with  a  party  to  the  Up- 
per Missouri.  I  did  not  think  that  the  situ- 
ation of  the  country  justified  me  in  taking 
our  young  companions,  Messrs.  Brant  and 
Benton,  along  with  us.  In  case  of  misfor- 
tune, it  would  have  been  thought,  at  the 
least,  an  act  of  great  imprudence ;  and  there- 
fore, though  reluctantly,  I  determined  to 
leave  them.  Randolph  had  been  the  life  of 
the  camp,  and  the  "  fetit  garfon"  was  much 
regretted  by  the  men,  to  whom  his  buoyant 
spirits  had  afforded  great  amusement.  'They 
all,  however,  agreed  in  the  propriety  of  leav- 
ing him  at  the  fort,  because,  as  they  said,  h 
might  cost  the  lives  of  some  of  the  men  in  a 
fight  with  the  Indians. 

July  21. — A  portion  of  our  baggage,  with 
our  field  notes  and  observations,  and  several 
instruments,  were  left  at  the  fort.  One  of 
the  gentlemen,  Mr.  Galpin,  took  charge  of  a 
barometer,  which  he  engaged  to  observe 
during  my  absence ;  and  I  entrusted  to  Ran- 
dolph, by  way  of  occupation,  the  regulai 
winding  up  of  two  of  my  chronometers,which 
were  among  the  instruments  eft.  Our  ob- 
servations showed  that  the  chronometer 
which  I  retained  for  the  continuation  of  our 
voyage  had  preserved  its  rate  in  a  most  sa- 
tisfactory manner.  As  deduced  from  it,  the 
longitude  of  Fort  Laramie  is  Ih.  01' 21", 
and  from  lunar  distance  7/i.  01'  29" ;  giving 
for  the  adopted  longitude  104°  47'  43". 
Comparing  the  barometrical  observation! 
made  during  our  stay  here,  with  those  of  Dr. 
G.  Engleman  at  St.  Louis,  we  find  for  the  el» 
vation  of  the  fort  above  tiie  Gulf  of  Mexico 
4,470  feet.     The  winter  climate  here  is  i* 


1843.] 

narkably 
weather  is 
brated  for ' 
is  west.  . 
south  wine 
aecompani 
We  wei 
struck,  the 
saddled,  ar 
the  stirrup 
lent  home- 
pleasantly 
cool  chamt 
had  been  s 
from  the  In 
of  them  p 
their  way  i 
sition.  tit 
they  took  ti 


"  Mr.  Fi 
bl^s  pr^sen 
de  ne  point 
le  parti  de 
soient  de 
qu'ils  sont  I 
premiere  n 
toir  dans  s( 
vous  fais  C€ 
qu'il  est  m- 
ger.  Mem 
teurs  de  c; 
partir  avant 

"  Je  suis 


"  Les  non 
de  Loutre, 
Noir,  la  Qi 


"  Me.  Fi 
serabled  in 
warn  you  n 
young  men 
turned.  F 
are  very  su 
as  they  met 
in  seven 
making  the 
duty  to  war 
chiefs  who 
the  return 
this  note. 

"  I  am  y( 


"  Names 
Hat,  the 
Nigbt,  the : 


119^ 

see,  every  pop. 
3ty.  In  the  ni 
!ved  there  wai 
they  were  men 
[ife  and  to  the 
the  dangers  of 

be  expected  in 
service.  They 
ondition  of  the 
)uis,  and  there- 
on for  breaking 

was  unwilling 
e  of  some  cer- 
could  not  rely ; 
[lat  there  were 
ire  disposed  t« 
3turn,  they  had 

and  state  their 
lischarged  with 
■  the  time  they 
r  be  it  said,  then 
lo  had  the  face 
mself  of  the  per- 

few  questions, 
e  ridicule  of  the 
3  day  after  our 
iself  to  one  of 

nto  the  Up- 
at  the  situ- 
d  me  in  taking 
Bsrs.  Brant  and 
case  of  misfot- 
thought,  at  tiie 
ence ;  and  there- 
'.  determined  to 
been  the  life  of 
rfon"  was  much 
om  his  buoyant 
usement.  They 
iropriety  of  leav- 
as  they  said, !-.: 
of  the  men  in  a 

ir  baggage,  witl 
ions,  and  several 
le  fort.    One  of 
took  charge  of  a 
iged  to  obsem 
mtrusted  to  Ran- 
ion,  the  regular 
■onometers,whicli 
ts   eft.    Our  ob- 
he    chronometer 
ntinuation  of  our 
te  in  a  most  sa 
uced  from  it,  the 
>  is  Ih.  01' 21", 
01'  29";  giving 
104°  47'  43". 
ical  observation! 
with  those  of  Dr. 
fe  find  for  the  ele- 
}  Gu!f  of  Mexico 
imate  here  is  w 


1843.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


narkably  mild  for  the  latitude;  but  rainy 
weather  is  frequent,  and  the  place  is  cele- 
brated for  winds,  of  which  the  prevailing  one 
j8  west.  An  east  wind  in  summer,  and  a 
gonth  wind  in  winter,  are  said  to  be  always 
accompanied  with  rain. 

We  were  ready  to  depart ;  the  tents  were 
Btruck,  the  mules  geared  up,  and  our  horses 
saddled,  and  we  walked  up  to  the  fort  to  take 
the  stirrup  cup  with  our  friends  in  an  excel- 
lent home-brewed  preparation.  While  thus 
pleasantly  engaged,  seated  in  one  of  the  little 
cool  chambers,  at  the  door  of  wliich  a  man 
had  been  stationed  to  prevent  all  intrusion 
from  the  Indians,  a  number  of  chiefs,  several 
of  them  powerful  fine-looking  men,  forced 
their  way  into  the  room  in  spite  of  all  oppo- 
sition. Handing  me  the  following  letter, 
they  took  their  seats  in  silence : 

"Fort Platte,  Juillet  1, 1842. 

"  Mr.  Fremont  :  Les  chefs  s'etant  assem- 
bles pr^sentement  me  disent  de  vous  avertir 
de  ne  point  vous  mettre  en  route,  avant  que 
!e  parti  de  jeunes  gens,  qui  est  en  dehors, 
soient  de  retour.  De  plus,  ils  me  disent 
qu'ils  sont  tres  certains  qu'ils  feront  feu  It  la 
premiere  rencontre.  lis  doivent  etre  de  re- 
\oxT  dans  sept  k  huit  jours.  Excusez  si  je 
vous  fais  ces  observations,  mais  il  me  semble 
qu'il  est  mon  devoir  de  vous  avertir  du  dan- 
ger. Heme  de  plus,  les  chefs  sont  les  por- 
teurs  de  ce  billet,  qui  vou.s  defendent  do 
oartir  avant  le  retour  des  guerriers. 

"  Je  sills  votre  obeissant  serviteur. 
"JOSEPH  BISSONETTE, 
"  Par  L.  B.  CHARTRAIN. 

"  Les  noms  de  quelques  chefs. — Le  Chapeau 
de  Loutre,  le  CasSeur  de  Pleches,  la  Nuit 
Noir,  la  Queue  de  Boeuf." 

[Translation.] 

"  Fort  Platte,  July  1, 1842. 

"  Mr.  Fremont  :  The  chiefs,  having  as- 
sembled in  council,  have  just  told  me  to 
warn  you  not  to  set  out  before  the  party  of 
young  men  which  is  now  out  shall  have  re- 
turned. Furthermore,  they  tell  me  that  they 
are  very  sure  they  will  fire  upon  you  as  soon 
as  they  meet  you.  They  are  expected  back 
in  seven  or  eight  days.  Excuse  me  for 
making  these  observations,  but  it  seems  my 
duty  to  warn  you  of  danger.  Moreover,  the 
chiefs  who  prohibit  your  setting  out  before 
the  return  of  the  warriors  are  the  bearers  of 
this  note. 

"  I  am  your  obedient  servant, 

«  JOSEPH  BISSONETTE, 
"  By  L.  B.  CHARTRAIN. 

"  Names  of  some  of  the  chiefs. — The  Otter 
Hat,  the  Breaker  of  Arrows,  the  Black 
Ni^  the  Bull's  Tail." 


After  reading  thi.s,  I  mentioned  its  purport 
to  my  companions  ;  and,  seeing  that  all 
were  fully  possessed  of  its  contents,  one  of 
the  Indians  rose  up,  and,  having  first  shaken 
hands  with  me,  spoke  as  follows  : 

"  You  have  come  among  us  at  a  bad  time. 
Some  of  our  people  have  been  killed,  and  our 
young  men,  who  are  gone  to  the  mountains, 
are  eager  to  avenge  the  blood  of  their  rela^ 
tions,  which  has  been  shed  by  the  whites. 
Our  young  men  are  bad,  and,  if  they  meet 
you,  they  will  believe  that  you  are  carrying 
goods  and  ammunition  to  their  enemies,  and 
will  fire  upon  you.  You  have  told  us  that 
this  will  make  war.  We  know  that  our 
great  father  has  many  soldiers  and  big  guns, 
and  we  are  anxious  to  have  our  lives.  We 
love  the  whites,  and  are  desirous  of  peace. 
Thinking  of  all  these  things,  we  have  deter- 
mined to  keep  you  here  until  our  warriors 
return.  We  are  glad  to  see  you  among  us. 
Our  father  is  rich,  and  we  expected  that  you 
would  have  brought  presents  to  us — horses, 
guns,  and  blankets.  But  we  are  glad  to  see 
you.  We  look  upon  your  coming  as  the  light 
which  goes  before  the  sun ;  for  you  will  tell 
our  great  father  that  you  have  seen  us,  and 
that  we  are  naked  and  poor,  and  have  no- 
thing to  eat ;  and  he  will  send  us  all  these 
things."  He  was  followed  by  the  others,  to 
the  same  effect. 

The  observations  of  the  savage  appeared 
reasonable ;  hut  I  was  aware  that  they  had 
in  view  only  the  present  object  of  detaining 
me,  and  were  unwilling  I  should  go  further 
into  the  country.  In  reply,  I  asked  them, 
through  the  interpretation  of  Mr.  Boudeau, 
to  select  two  or  three  of  their  number  to  ac- 
company us  until  we  should  meet  their  peo- 
ple— they  should  spread  their  robes  in  my  tent 
and  eat  at  my  table,  and  on  our  return  I 
would  give  them  presents  in  reward  of  their 
services.  They  aeclined,  saying  that  there 
were  no  young  -men  lefl  in  the  village,  and 
that  they  were  too  old  to  travel  so  many  days 
on  horseback,  and  preferred  now  to  smoke 
their  pipes  in  the  lodge,  and  let  the  warriors 
go  on  the  war  path.  Besides,  they  had  no 
power  over  the  young  men,  and  were  afraid 
to  interfere  with  them.  In  my  turn  1  address- 
ed them :  "  You  say  that  you  love  the  whites ; 
why  have  you  killed  so  many  already  this 
sprmg  ?  You  say  that  you  love  the  whitet>, 
and  are  full  of  many  expressions  of  friend- 
ship to  us ;  but  you  are  not  willing  to  undergo 
the  fatigue  of  a  few  days'  ride  to  .save  our 
lives.  We  do  not  believe  what  you  have 
said,  and  will  not  listen  to  you.  AVhatever 
a  chief  among  us  tells  his  soldiers  to  do,  ia 
done.  We  are  the  soldiers  of  the  great  cluel^ 
your  father.  He  has  told  us  to  come  here 
and  see  this  country,  and  all  the  Indians,  hte 
children.  Why  should  we  not  go  ?  Bc^ost 
we  came,  we  heard  that  you  h&d  killed  Mft 


|J« 


to 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1S4I. 


people,  and  ceased  to  be  his  children ;  but  we 
came  among  you  peaceably,  holding  out  our 
hands.  Now  we  find  that  the  stories  we 
heard  are  not  lies,  and  that  you  are  no  longer 
his  friends  and  children.  We  have  thrown 
away  our  bodies,  and  will  not  turn  back. 
When  you  told  us  that  your  young  men 
would  kill  us,  you  did  not  know  that  our 
hearts  were  strong,  and  you  did  not  see  the 
rifles  which  my  young  men  carry  in  their 
hands.  We  are  tew,  sind  you  are  many,  and 
may  kill  us  all ;  but  tliere  will  be  much  cry- 
ing in  your  villages,  for  many  of  your  young 
men  will  stay  behind,  and  forget  to  return 
with  your  warriors  from  the  mountains.  Do 
you  think  that  our  great  chief  will  let  his 
soldiers  die,  and  forget  to  cover  their  graves  ? 
Before  the  snows  melt  again,  his  warriors 
will  sweep  away  your  villages  as  the  fire 
does  the  prairie  in  the  autumn.  See  !  I  have 
pulled  down  my  while  houses,  ami  my  people 
are  ready  :  when  the  sun  is  ten  puces  higher, 
we  shall  be  on  the  march.  If  you  have  any- 
thing to  tell  us,  you  will  say  it  soon."  I 
broke  up  the  conference,  as  J  could  do  no- 
thing with  these  people  ;  and,  being  resolved 
to  proceed,  nothing  was  to  be  gained  by  de- 
lay. Accompanied  by  our  hospitable  friends, 
we  returned  to  the  camp.  We  had  mounted 
our  horses,  and  our  parting  salutations  had 
been  exchanged,  when  one  of  the  chiefs  (the 
Bull's  Tail)  arrived  to  tell  me  that  they  had 
determined  to  send  a  young  man  with  us  ; 
and  if  I  would  point  out  the  place  of  our  eve- 
ning camp,  he  should  join  us  there.  "  The 
Joung  man  is  poor,"  said  he  ;  "  he  has  no 
orse,  and  expects  y»u  to  give  him  one."  I 
described  to  him  the  place  where  I  intended 
to  encamp,  and,  shakmg  hands,  in  a  few  mi- 
nutes we  were  among  tne  hills,  and  this  last 
habitation  of  whites  shut  out  from  our  view. 
The  road  led  over  an  interesting  plateau 
between  the  North  fork  of  the  Platte  on  the 
right,  and  Laramie  river  on  the  left.  At  the 
distance  of  ten  miles  from  the  fort,  we  en- 
tered the  sandy  bed  of  a  creek,  a  kind  of  de- 
file, shaded  by  precipitous  rocks,  down  which 
we  wound  our  way  for  several  hundred  yards, 
to  a  place  where,  on  the  left  bank,  a  very 
large  spring  gushes  with  considerable  noise 
and  force  out  of  the  limestone  rock.  It  is 
called  "  the  Warm  Spring,"  and  furnishes  to 
the  hitherto  dry  bed  of  the  creek  a  conside- 
•nble  rivulet.  On  the  opposite  side,  a  little 
below  the  spring,  is  a  lofty  limestone  escarp- 
ment, partially  shaped  by  a  grove  of  large 
trees,  whose  green  foliage,  in  contrast  with 
the  whiteness  of  the  rock,  renders  this  a  pic- 
turesque locality.  The  rock  is  fossiliferous, 
and,  so  far  as  I  was  able  to  determine  the 
character  of  the  fossils,  belongs  to  the  car- 
boiiiferous  limestone  of  the  Missouri  river, 
tad  ia  probably  the  western  limit  of  that  for- 


mation. Beyond  this  point  I  met  with  no 
fossils  of  any  description. 

I  was  desirous  to  visit  the  Platte  near  the 
point  where  it  leaves  the  Black  hills,  and 
therefore  followed  this  stream,  for  two  or 
three  miles,  to  the  mouth  ;  where  I  encamp- 
rd  on  a  spot  which  afibrded  good  grass  and 
prSle  (equisetum)  for  our  animals.  Our  teoti 
liaving  been  found  too  thin  to  protect  our- 
selves and  the  instruments  from  the  rains, 
which  in  this  elevated  country  are  attended 
with  cold  and  unpleasant  weather,  I  had  pro> 
cured  from  the  Indians  at  Laramie  a  tolera- 
bly large  lodge,  about  eighteen  feet  in  diame- 
ter, and  twenty  feet  m  height.  Such  a 
lodge,  when  properly  pitched,  is,  from  its 
conical  form,  almost  perfectly  secure  against 
the  violent  winds  which  are  frequent  in  this 
region,  and,  with  a  fire  in  the  centre,  is  a 
dry  and  warm  shelter  in  bad  weather.  By 
raising  the  lower  part,  so  as  to  permit  the 
breeze  to  pass  freely,  it  is  converted  into  a 
pleasant  summer  residence,  with  the  extraor- 
din''.iy  advantage  of  being  entirely  free  from 
mosquitoes,  one  of  which  I  have  never  seen 
in  an  Indian  lodge.  While  we  were  engaged 
very  unskilfully  in  erecting  this,  the  interpre- 
ter, Mr.  Bissonette,  arrived,  accompanied  by 
the  Indian  and  his  wife.  She  laughed  at  our 
awkwardness,  and  offered  her  assistance,  of 
which  we  were  frequently  afterward  obliged 
to  avail  ourselves,  before  the  men  acquired 
sufficient  expertness  to  pitch  it  without  diffi- 
culty. From  this  place  we  had  a  fine  view 
of  the  gorge  where  the  Platte  issues  from  Ui9 
Black  hills,  changing  its  character  abruptly 
from  a  mountain  stream  into  a  river  of  the 
plains.  Immediately  around  us  the  valley  ot 
the  stream  was  tolerabljF  open ;  and  at  the 
distance  of  a  few  miles,  where  the  river  had 
cut  its  way  through  the  hills,  was  the  narrow 
cleft,  on  one  side  of  which  a  lofty  precipice 
of  bright  red  rock  rose  vertically  above  the 
low  hills  which  lay  between  us. 

July  22. — In  the  morning,  while  breakfasl 
was  being  prepared,  I  visited  this  place  with 
my  favorite  man,  Basil  Lajeunesse.  Enter- 
ing so  far  as  there  was  footing  for  the  mules, 
we  dismounted,  and,  tying  our  animals,  con- 
tinued our  way  on  foot.  Like  the  whole 
country,  the  scenery  of  the  river  had  under- 
gone an  entire  change,  and  was  in  this  place 
the  most  beautiful  I  have  ever  seen.  The 
breadth  of  the  stream,  generally  near  that  ol 
it.s  valley,  was  from  two  to  three  hundred  feet, 
with  a  swift  current,  occasionally  broken  by 
rapids,  and  the  water  perfectly  clear.  Chi 
either  side  rose  the  red  precipices,  vertical, 
and  sometimes  overhanging,  two  and  foui 
hundred  feet  in  height,  crowned  with  green 
summits,  on  which  were  scattered  a  few 
pines.  At  the  foot  of  the  rocks  was  the 
usual  detritus,  formed  of  masses  &llen  frai 


1848.1 

above.  Am 
lod  on  the  a 
(eerasus  vir^ 
li(Buf  (iheph 
loiuhine  of 
fU  of  a  mo 
which  arose 
of  the  objects 
I  thought  M 
pFoaching  de 
interesting  ] 
«f  being  abl( 
fi^l  examina 
u  might  ha' 
logical  forma 
where  they  i 
ness.  The  i 
consists  of  > 
occasionally 
Below  was  s 
Btone,  changi 
very  hard  si 
email  but  hai 
below  this  pli 
which  would 
post.  There 
wood  on  the  I 
comes  in  at  t 
pine,  and  goc 

If  it  is  m  ( 
communicati 

w  of  mi 
absolutely  ne 
advantages  r 
Laramie  the 
of  the  Platte 
tary  post.  I 
of  the  Platte 
cellent  roads 
would  not  in 
of  the  buflal 
dians  mainly 

fmder  any 
ecessary ; 
tween  it  and 
control  the 
operate  effec 
atitions  as  a 
Ventres,  Sic 
dians,  and 
through  the 
the  South  P) 
open.    It  lit 
mountainous 
tablishment 
hood  of  St. 
of  the  Platf( 
8a8,alineof 
by  good  wag< 
lary  posts,  \^ 
the  mountaii 
troublesome 
&cilitate  our 
Spanish  set 


[IBtt. 

I  met  with  no 

Platte  near  the 
Hack  hills,  and 
m,  for  two  or 
here  I  encamp- 
Tood  grass  aiui 
als.  Our  tentt 
to  protect  our- 
from  the  rains, 
ry  are  attended 
ther,  I  had  pro- 
iramie  a  tolera- 
n  feet  in  diame- 
light.  Such  a 
d,  is,  from  its 
'  secure  against 
frequent  in  this 
;he  centre,  is  a 
i  weather.  By 
5  to  permit  the 
inverted  into  a 
nth  the  extraor- 
itirely  free  from 
lave  never  seen 
e  were  engaged 
lis,  the  interpre- 
iccompanied  by 
3  laughed  at  our 
3r  assistance,  cf 
terward  obliged 

men  acquired 

it  without  diffi- 
had  a  fine  view 

issues  from  tht 
iracter  abruptly 
9  a  river  of  the 

us  the  valley  ot 
)en ;  and  at  the 
ire  the  river  had 
,  was  the  narrow 
I  lofty  precipice 
;ically  above  the 

us. 

,  while  breakfast 
1  this  place  with 
unesse.  Enter- 
ig  for  the  mules, 
ur  animals,  con< 
Like  the  whole 
river  had  under- 
vas  in  this  place 
!ver  seen.  The 
ally  near  that  oi 
ree  hundred  feet, 
)nally  broken  by 
ictly  clear.  Cki 
cipices,  vertical, 
<r,  two  and  foui 
trned  with  green 
scattered  a  few 

rocks  was  the 
issei&Ilen  fnm 


1848. 1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATi\  E. 


SI 


ibove.  Among  the  pines  that  grew  here, 
ind  on  the  occasional  banks,  were  the  cherry 
(eerasus  virginiana),  currants,  and  grains  de 
boBuf  (ahepherdia  argentea).  Viewed  in  the 
lojuihine  of  a  pleasant  morning,  the  scenery 
fas  of  a  most  striking  and  romantic  beauty, 
which  arose  from  the  picturesque  disposition 
of  the  objects,  and  the  vivid  contrast  of  colors. 
1  bought  with  much  pleasure  of  our  ap- 

Eroaching  descent  in  the  canoe  through  such 
iteresting  places ;  and,  in  the  expectation 
of  being  able  at  that  time  to  give  to  them  a 
foil  examination,  did  not  now  dwell  so  much 
u  might  have  been  desirable  upon  the  geo- 
lopca!  formations  along  the  line  of  the  river, 
where  they  are  developed  with  great  clear- 
ness. The  upper  portion  of  the  red  strata 
consists  of  very  compact  clay,  in  which  are 
occasionally  seen  imbedded  large  pebbles. 
Below  was  a  stratum  of  compact  red  sand- 
stone, changing  a  little  above  the  river  into  a 
very  hard  siliceous  limestone.  There  is  a 
email  but  handsome  open  prairie  immediately 
below  this  place,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river, 
which  would  be  a  good  locality  for  a  military 
post.  There  are  some  open  groves  of  cotton- 
wood  on  the  Platte.  The  small  stream  which 
comes  in  at  this  place  is  well  timbered  with 
pine,  and  good  building  rock  is  abundant. 

If  it  is  in  contemplation  to  keep  open  the 
communications  with  Oregon  territory,  a 
show  of  military  force  in  this  country  is 
absolutely  necessary ;  and  a  combination  of 
advantages  renders  the  neighborhood  of  Fort 
Laramie  the  most  suitable  place,  on  the  line 
of  the  Platte,  for  the  establishment  of  a  mili- 
tary post.  It  is  connected  with  the  mouth 
of  the  Platte  and  the  Upper  Missouri  by  ex- 
cellent roads,  which  are  in  frequent  use,  and 
would  not  in  any  way  interfere  with  the  range 
of  the  buflalo,  on  which  the  neighboring  In- 
dians mainly  depend  for  support.  It  would 
imder  any  posts  on  the  Ix)wer  Platte  un- 
ecessary ;  the  ordinary  communication  be- 
tween it  and  the  Missouri  being  sufficient  to 
control  the  iiicermediate  Indians.  It  would 
operate  effectually  to  prevent  any  such  co- 
alitions as  are  now  formed  among  the  Gros 
Ventres,  Sioux,  Cheyennes,  and  other  In- 
dians, and  would  keep  the  Oregon  road 
through  the  valley  of  the  Sweet  Water  and 
the  South  Pass  of  the  mountains  constantly 
open.  It  lies  at  the  foot  of  a  broken  and 
mountainous  region,  along  which,  by  the  es- 
tablishment of  small  posts  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  St.  Vrain's  fort,  on  the  South  ft)rk 
of  the  Platte,  and  Bent's  fort,  on  the  Arkan- 
sas, a  line  of  communication  would  be  formed, 
by  good  wagon  roads,  with  our  southern  mili- 
fary  posts,  which  would  entirely  command 
the  mountain  passes,  hold  some  of  the  most 
troublesome  tribes  in  check,  and  protect  and 
facilitate  our  intercourse  with  the  neighboring 
Spanish  settlements.     The  valleys  of  the 


rivers  on  which  they  would  be  situated  are 
fertile  -,  the  country,  which  supports  immense 
herds  of  bufTaln,  is  admirably  adapted  to 
grazing  ;  and  herds  of  cattle  might  be  main- 
tained by  the  posts,  or  obtained  from  the 
Spanish  country,  which  already  supplies  a 
portion  of  their  provisions  to  the  trading  posts 
mentioned  above. 

Just  as  we  were  leaving  the  camp  this 
morning,  our  Indian  came  up,  and  stated  his 
intention  of  not  proceeding  any  further  until 
he  had  seen  the  horse  which  I  intended  to 
give  him.  I  felt  strongly  tempted  to  drive 
him  out  of  the  camp ;  but  his  presence  ap« 
pearcd  to  give  confidence  to  my  men,  and  the 
interpreter  thought  it  absolutely  necessary. 
I  was  therefore  obliged  to  do  what  he  re- 
quested, and  pointed  out  the  animal,  with 
which  he  seemed  satisfied,  and  we  continued 
our  journey.  I  had  imagined  that  Mr.  Bis- 
sonette's  long  residence  nad  made  him  ac- 
quainted with  the  country,  and,  according  to 
his  advice,  proceeded  directly  forward,  with- 
out attempting  to  regain  the  usual  road.  He 
afterward  informed  me  that  he  had  rarely 
ever  lost  sight  of  the  fort ;  but  the  effect  of 
the  mistake  was  to  involve  us  for  a  day  or 
two  among  the  hills,  where,  although  we 
lost  no  time,  we  encountered  an  exceedingly 
rough  road. 

To  the  south,  along  our  line  of  march  to- 
day, the  main  chain  of  the  Black  or  Laramie 
hills  rises  precipitously.  Time  did  not  permit 
me  to  visit  tliem  ;  but,  from  comparative  in- 
formation, tiie  ridge  is  composed  of  the  coarse 
sandstone  or  conglomerate  hereafter  de- 
scribed. It  appears  to  enter  the  region  of 
clouds,  which  are  arrested  in  their  course, 
and  lie  in  masses  along  the  summits.  An 
inverted  cone  of  black  cloud  (cumulus)  rest- 
ed during  all  the  forenoon  on  the  lofty  peak 
of  Laramie  mountain,  which  I  estimated  to 
be  about  two  thousand  feet  above  the  fort,  or 
six  thousand  five  hundred  above  the  sea.  We 
halted  to  noon  on  the  Fourche  Amere,  so 
called  from  being  timbered  principally  with 
the  liard  amere  (a  species  of  poplar),  with 
which  the  valley  of  the  little  stream  is  tole- 
rably well  wooded,  and  which,  with  large 
expansive  summits,  grows  to  the  height  of 
sixty  or  seventy  feet. 

The  bed  of  the  creek  is  sand  and  gravel, 
the  water  dispersed  over  the  broad  bed  in 
several  shallow  streams.  We  fovmd  here, 
on  the  right  bank,  in  the  shade  of  the  treos, 
a  fine  spring  of  very  cold  water.  It  will  be 
remarked  that  I  do  not  mention,  in  this  por- 
tion of  the  journey,  the  temperature  of  the 
air,  sand,  springs,  &c. — an  omission  which 
will  be  explained  in  the  course  of  the  nar- 
rative. In  my  search  for  plants,  I  was  well 
rewarded  at  this  place. 

With  the  change  in  the  geological  fonov 
tion  on  leaving  Fort  Laramie,  the  whole  fi^M 


32 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


11841 


of  the  country  has  entirely  altered  its  ap- 
pearance. Eastward  of  that  meridian,  the 
principal  objects  wiiich  strike  the  eye  of  a 
traveller  are  the  absence  of  timber,  and  the 
immense  expanse  of  prairie,  covered  with 
the  verdure  of  rich  grasses,  and  highly  adapt- 
ed for  pasturage.  Wherever  they  are  not 
disturbed  by  the  vicinity  of  man,  large  herds 
of  buffalo  give  animation  to  this  country. 
Westward  of  Laramie  river,  the  region  is 
sandy,  and  apparently  sterile  ;  and  the  place 
of  the  grass  is  iiijurped  by  the  arlcmisia  and 
other  odoriferous  plants,  to  whojo  growth 
the  sandy  soil  and  dry  air  of  this  efevcled 
region  seem  highly  favorable. 

One  of  the  pronlinent  characteristics  in 
the  face  of  the  country  is  the  extraordinary 
abundance  of  the  art:,jni^ins.  They  grow 
everywhere — on  the  hills,  and  over  the  river 
bottoms,  in  tough,  twisted,  wiry  clumps  ;  and, 
wherever  the  beaten  track  wa-  left,  they  ren- 
dered the  progress  of  the  c  irt-  rough  and 
slow.  As  the  country  increns'vl  in  elevation 
on  our  advance  to  the  west,  tiii-y  increased 
in  size;  and  the  whole  air  i-5  strongly  im- 
pregnated and  saturated  widi  tl;e  odor  of 
camphor  and  spirits  of  turpentino  wiiich  be- 
longs to  this  plant.  This  climate  has  been 
found  very  favorable  to  the  restoration  of 
health,  particularly  in  cases  of  consumption ; 
and  possibly  the  respiration  of  air  so  highly 
impregnated  with  ?<,romatic  plants  may  have 
some  influence. 

Our  dried  meat  had  given  out,  and  we  be- 
gan to  be  in  want  of  food ;  but  one  of  the 
hunters  killed  an  antelope  this  evening,  which 
aflbrded  some  relief,  although  it  did  not  go 
far  among  so  many  hungry  men.  At  8 
»'clock  at  night,  after  a  march  of  twenty- 
deven  miles,  we  reached  our  proposed  en- 
campment on  the  Fer-i-Cheval,  or  Horse- 
shoe creek.  Here  we  found  good  grass, 
with  a  great  quantity  of  prfle,  which  fur- 
nished good  food  for  our  tired  animals.  This 
creek  is  well  timbered,  principally  with 
Hard  amire,  and,  with  the  exception  of  Deer 
creek  whicli  we  had  not  yet  reached,  is  the 
largest  affluent  of  the  right  bank  between 
Laramie  and  the  mouth  of  the  Sweet  Water. 

July  23. — The  present  year  had  been  one 
of  unparalleled  drought,  and  throughout  the 
country  the  water  had  been  almost  dried  up. 
By  availing  themsflves  of  the  annual  rise, 
the  traders  had  invariably  succeeded  in  car- 
rying their  furs  to  the  Missouri ;  but  this 
season,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  on 
both  forks  of  the  Platte  they  had  entirely 
failed.  The  greater  number  of  the  springs, 
and  many  of  the  streams,  which  made  halt- 
ing places  for  the  vovageurs,  had  been  dried 
up.  Everywhere  the  soil  looked  parched 
and  burnt ;  the  scanty  yellow  grass  crisped 
under  the  foot,  and  even  the  hardiest  plants 
W«te  destroyed  by  want  of  moif.ture.     I 


think  it  necessary  to  mention  this  fact,  be- 
cause to  the  rapid  evaporation  in  such  an 
elevatttd  region,  nearly  five  thousand  feel 
above  the  sea,  almost  wholly  unprotected  by 
timber,  should  be  attributed  much  of  the 
sterile  appearance  of  the  country,  in  the  de> 
struction  of  vegetation,  and  the  numcroue 
saline  efflorescences  which  covered  the 
ground.  Such  1  afterward  found  to  be  the 
case. 

I  was  informed  that  the  roving  villages  of 
Indians  and  travellers  had  never  met  witin 
difficulty  in  finding  an  abundance  of  grass 
for  their  horses ;  and  now  it  was  after  great 
search  that  we  were  able  to  find  a  scanty 
patch  of  grass,  sufficient  to  keep  them  from 
sinking;  and  in  the  course  of  a  day  or  two 
they  began  to  suffer  very  much.  We  found 
none  to-day  at  noon ;  and,  in  the  course  of 
our  search  nn  the  Platte,  came  to  a  grove  of 
cotton-wood,  where  some  Indian  village  had 
recently  encamped.  Boughs  of  the  cotton- 
wood  vet  green  covered  the  ground,  which 
the  Inrlians  had  cut  down  to  feed  their  horses 
upon.  It  is  only  in  the  winter  that  recourse 
is  had  to  this  means  of  sustaining  them; 
and  tiieir  resort  to  it  at  this  time  was  a  strik- 
ing evidence  of  the  state  of  the  country. 
VVe  followed  their  example,  and  turned  our 
horses  into  a  grove  of  young  poplars.  This 
began  to  present  itself  as  a  very  serious  evil, 
for  on  our  animals  depended  altogether  the 
further  prosecution  of  our  journey. 

Shortly  after  we  had  left  this  place,  the 
scouts  came  galloping  in  with  the  alarm  of 
Indians.  We  turned  in  immediately  toward 
the  r'ver,  which  here  had  a  steep  high  bank, 
where  we  formed  with  the  carts  a  very  close 
barricade,  resting  on  the  river,  within  which 
the  animals  were  strongly  hobbled  and  pick- 
eted. The  guns  were  discharged  and  re- 
loaded, and  men  thrown  forward,  under  cover 
of  the  bank,  in  the  direction  by  which  the 
Indians  were  expected.  Our  interpreter, 
who,  with  the  Indian,  had  gone  to  meet  them, 
came  in,  in  about  ten  minutes,  accompanied 
by  two  Sioux.  They  looked  sulky,  and  we 
could  obtain  from  them  only  some  confused 
information.  We  learned  that  they  belonged 
to  the  ptirty  which  had  been  on  the  trail  of 
the  emigrants,  whom  they  had  overtaken  at 
Rock  Independence,  on  the  Sweet  Water. 
Here  the  party  had  disagreed,  and  came 
nigh  fighting  among  themselves.  One  por- 
tion were  desirous  of  attacking  the  whiteii, 
but  the  others  were  opposed  to  it ;  and 
finally  they  had  broken  up  into  small  bands, 
and  dispersed  over  the  country.  The  greater 
portion  of  them  had  gone  over  into  the  terri- 
tory of  the  Crows,  and  intended  to  return  by 
the  way  of  the  Wind  river  valley,  in  the  hopeol 
being  able  to  fall  upon  some  small  parties  of 
Crow  Indians.  The  remainder  were  retum^ 
ing  down  the  Platte,  in  scattered  patties  (A 


IS43.J 

ten  and  tv 
encountere 
rocated  an 
nl  of  the  I 
the  spot; 
my  such  p 
ed  me  thai 
little  or  no 
been  no  rai 
pfr&sshoppei 
insects  had 
Fort  liaraiD 
with  them ; 
cloud  prece 
news.  No 
iher  horse 
plugs  of  to 
rently  well 
my  men  did 
\j,  and  they 
nice  prepara 
which  surn 
dently  in  a 
horses  whei 
tance. 

We  cont 
journey  of  a 
on  the  Piatt 
lionally  rem 
lea  esculenia 
The  Sioux  i 
I  have  freqi 
cut  into  tl 
course  of  th 
Indians,  wh 
encamped  a 
cal  observat 
69'  69",  and 
We  made 
and  encam 
Platte,  whei 
tolerably  go 
mains  of  an 
sudden  eme 
was  a  pictui 
stone.  Th( 
tie  above,  ai 
dered  the  ri 
ance  this  af 
ahortly  afte 
fine  cows, 
vations  gav< 
420  47»  40" 

Julv  25.- 
this  day,  a 
pleasant  gn 
Bcafiblds  we 
was  laid,  cu 
fires  kindled 
by  the  vicii 
itock  of  pre 
In  the  coun 
brought  in  i 
were  kept  b 


L184i 

n  this  fact,  be- 
ion  in  such  an 

thousand  feel 
unprotected  by 

much  of  the 
ntry,  in  the  de- 

the  numerous 

covered    the 

found  to  be  the 

'ing  villages  of 
lever  met  wifti 
Jance  of  grass 
was  after  great 

find  a  scanty 
ceep  them  from 
{  a  day  or  two 
:h.  We  found 
I  the  course  of 
lO  to  a  grove  of 
lian  village  had 

of  the  cotton- 
ground,  which 
;ed  their  horses 
r  that  recourse 
staining  them; 
me  was  a  strik- 
if  the  country, 
and  turned  our 
poplars.  This 
Bry  serious  evil, 
1  altogether  the 
irney. 

this  place,  the 
th  the  alarm  of 
lediateiy  toward 
teep  high  bank, 
irts  a  very  close 
ir,  within  which 
)bbled  and  pick- 
harged  and  re- 
ird,  under  cover 
n  by  which  the 
)ur  interpreter, 
ne  to  meet  them, 
3s,  accompanied 
J  sulky,  and  we 
T  some  confused 
at  they  belonged 
I  on  the  trail  of 
lad  overtaken  at 

Sweet  Water. 
reed,  and  came 
Ives.  One  por- 
dng  the  whites, 
sed  to  it;  and 
nto  small  bands, 
y.  The  greater 
er  into  the  terri- 
ded  to  return  by 
ley,  in  the  hope  (M 
small  parties  of 
ider  were  return 
ttered  parties  ol 


1843.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ten  tnd  twenty;  and  those  whom  we  had 
encountered  belonged  to  those  who  had  ad- 
focated  an  attack  on  the  emigrants.  Scve- 
nl  of  the  men  suggested  shooting  them  on 
the  spot;  but  I  promptly  discountenanced 
my  such  proceeding.  They  further  inform- 
ed me  that  bufTalo  were  very  scarce,  and 
little  or  no  grass  to  be  found.  There  had 
been  no  rain,  and  innumerable  quantities  of 
prisslioppers  had  destroyed  the  grass.  The 
iasects  had  been  so  numerous  smce  leaving 
Fort  Ijaramie,  that  the  groimd  seemed  alive 
with  them  ;  and  in  walKing,  a  little  moving 
cloud  preceded  our  footsteps.  This  was  bad 
news.  No  grass,  no  bunalo — food  for  nei- 
ther horse  nor  man.  I  gave  them  some 
plugs  of  tobacco,  and  they  went  off,  appa- 
rently well  satisfied  to  be  clear  of  us ;  for 
my  men  did  not  look  upon  them  very  loving- 
ly, and  they  glanced  suspiciously  at  our  war- 
like preparations,  and  the  little  ring  of  rifles 
which  surrounded  them.  They  were  evi- 
dently in  a  bad  humor,  and  shot  one  of  their 
horses  when  they  had  left  us  a  sitort  dis- 
tance. 

We  continued  our  marcli,  and,  after  a 
journey  of  about  twenty -one  miles,  encamped 
on  the  Platte.  During  the  day,  I  had  occa- 
sionally remarked  among  the  hills  the  psora- 
lea  esculenta,  the  bread  root  of  the  Indians. 
The  Sioux  use  this  root  very  extensively,  and 
I  have  frequently  met  with  it  among  them, 
cut  into  thin  slices  and  dried.  In  the 
course  of  the  evening  we  were  visited  by  six 
Indians,  who  told  us  that  a  large  party  was 
encamped  a  few  miles  above.  Astronomi- 
cal observations  placed  us  in  longitude  104° 
69'  69",  and  latitude  42o  39'  26" 

We  made  the  next  day  twenty-two  miles, 
and  encamped  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Platte,  where  a  handsome  meadow  af&rded 
tolerably  good  grass.  There  were  the  re- 
mains of  an  old  fort  here,  thrown  up  in  some 
sudden  emergency,  and  on  the  opposite  side 
was  a  picturesque  bluff  of  ferruginous  sand- 
stone. There  was  a  handsome  grove  a  lit- 
tle above,  and  scattered  groups  of  trees  bor- 
dered the  river.  Buflalo  made  their  appear- 
ance this  afternoon,  and  the  hunters  came  in, 
ahortly  after  we  had  encamped,  with  three 
fine  cows.  The  night  was  tine,  and  obser- 
vations gave  for  the  latitude  of  the  camp, 
4a»  47'  40". 

July  26. — ^We  made  but  thirteen  miles 
this  day,  and  enramped  about  noon  in  a 
pleasant  grove  on  the  right  bank.  Low 
scaffolds  were  erected,  t'  otn  which  the  meat 
was  laid,  cut  up  into  thr:  strips,  and  small 
fires  kindled  below.  Our  object  was  to  profit 
by  the  vicinity  of  the  buffiilo,  to  lay  in  a 
itock  of  provisions  for  ten  or  fifteen  days. 
In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  the  hunters 
brought  in  five  or  six  cows,  and  all  hands 
were  kept  busUy  employed  in  preparing  the 


meat,  to  the  drying  o.  which  the  guard  at* 
tended  during  the  night.  Our  people  had 
recovered  their  gaiety,  and  the  busy  figures 
around  the  blazing  fires  gave  a  picturesque 
air  to  the  camp.  A  very  serious  accident 
occurred  this  morning,  in  the  breaking  of 
one  of  the  barometers.  These  had  been  the 
object  of  my  constant  solicitude,  and,  as  I 
had  intended  them  principally  for  mountain 
service,  I  had  used  them  as  seldom  as  pos- 
sible; taking  them  always  down  at  night, 
and  on  the  occurrence  of  storms,  in  order  to 
lessen  the  chances  of  being  broken.  I  was 
reduced  to  one,  a  standard  barometer  ol 
Troughton's  construction.  This  I  determin- 
ed to  preserve,  if  possible.  The  latitude  is 
42°  61'  38",  and  by  a  mean  of  the  results 
from  chronometer  and  lunar  distances,  the 
adopted  longitude  of  this  camp  is  108"  60' 
46". 

July  26. — Early  this  morning  we  were 
again  in  motion.  We  had  a  stock  of  pro- 
visions for  fifteen  days  carefully  stored  away 
in  the  carts,  and  this  I  resolved  should  only 
be  encroached  upon  when  our  rifles  should 
fail  to  procure  us  present  support.  I  de- 
termined to  reach  the  mountains,  if  it  were 
in  any  way  possible.  In  the  meantime,  buf- 
falo were  plenty.  In  six  miles  from  our 
encampment  (which,  by  way  of  distinction, 
we  sh&ll  call  Dried  Meat  camp),  we  crosseu 
a  handsome  stream,  called  La  Fourche 
Bcisie.  It  is  well  timbered,  and,  among  tli« 
flowers  in  bloom  on  its  banks,  I  remarked 
several  asters. 

Five  miles  further,  we  made  our  noon  halt 
on  the  banks  of  the  Platte,  in  the  shade  of 
some  cotton-woods.  There  were  here,  as 
generally  now  along  the  river,  thickets  of 
hippophacc,  the  grains  de  bauf  of  the  coun- 
try. They  were  of  two  kinds — one  bearing 
a  red  berry  (the  shepherdia  areentia  of 
Nuttall)  ;  the  other  a  yellow  berry,  of 
which  the  Tartars  are  said  to  make  a  kind 
of  rob. 

By  a  meridian  observation,  the  latitude  of 
the  place  was  42°  50'  08".  It  was  my  daily 
practice  to  take  observations  of  the  sun's 
meridian  altitude ;  and  why  they  are  not 
given,  will  appear  in  the  sequel.  Eight 
miles  further  we  reached  the  mouth  of  Deer 
creek,  where  we  encamped.  Here  was  an 
abundance  of  rich  grass,  and  our  animals 
were  compensated  for  past  privations.  This 
stream  was  at  this  time  twenty  feet  broad, 
and  well  timbered  with  cotton-wood  of  an 
uncommon  size.  It  is  the  largest  tributary 
of  the  Platte,  between  the  mouth  of  the 
Sweet  Water  and  tlie  Laramie.  Our  astro- 
nomical observations  gave  for  the  mouth  of 
the  stream  a  longitude  of  106°  08'  24",  and 
latitude  42°  62'  24". 

July  27. — Nothing  worthy  of  mentioD  M> 
currea  on  this  day ;  w«  travelled  laUr  thia 


14 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


1184S, 


oiua],  having  tpent  some  time  in  searchinj^ 
for  grasa,  croaamg  and  re-croaaing  the  river 
before  we  could  liiid  a  aufficient  quantity  for 
our  animala.  Toward  dualc,  we  encamped 
among  aomo  artemiaia  buahea,  two  and  three 
feet  in  height,  where  aome  scattered  patchea 
of  short  tougti  grass  afforded  a  scanty  sup- 
ply. In  crossing,  we  bad  occasion  to  ob- 
uerve  that  the  river  was  frequently  too  deep 
to  be  forded,  ttiough  we  always  succeeded 
in  finding  a  place  where  ttie  water  did  not 
enter  the  carts.  The  stream  continued  very 
clear,  with  two  or  three  hundred  feet  breadth 
of  water,  and  the  sandy  bed  and  banks  were 
frequently  covered  with  largo  round  pebbles. 
We  had  travelled  this  day  twenty-seven 
miles.  The  main  chain  of  the  Black  hills 
was  here  only  about  seven  miles  to  the 
south,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  rising 
abruptly  to  the  height  of  eight  and  twelve 
hundred  feet.  Patches  of  green  grass  in 
the  ravines  on  the  steep  sides  marked  the 
presence  of  springs,  and  the  summits  were 
clad  with  pinee. 

July  28. — In  two  miles  from  our  encamp- 
ment, we  reached  the  place  where  the  regu- 
lar road  crosses  the  Platte.  There  was  two 
hundred  feet  breadth  of  water  at  this  time  in 
the  bed,  which  has  a  variable  width  of  eight 
to  fifteen  hundred  feet.  The  channels  were 
generally  three  feet  deep,  and  there  were 
large  angular  rocks  on  the  bottom,  which 
made  the  ford  in  some  places  a  little  diffi- 
cult. Even  at  its  low  stages,  this  river 
cannot  be  crossed  at  random,  and  this  has 
always  been  used  as  the  best  ford.  The 
low  stage  of  the  waters  the  present  year 
had  made  it  fordable  in  almost  any  part  of 
its  course,  where  access  could  be  had  to  its 
bed. 

For  the  satisfaction  of  travellers,  I  will 
endeavor  to  give  some  description  of  the  na- 
ture of  the  road  from  Laramie  to  this  point. 
The  nature  of  the  soil  may  bo  inferred  from 
its  geological  formation.  The  limestone  at 
the  eastern  limit  of  this  section  is  succeeded 
by  limestone  without  fossils,  a  great  variety 
of  sandstone,  consisting  principally  of  red 
sandstone  and  fine  conglomerates.  The  red 
sandstone  is  argillaceous,  with  compact 
white  gypsum  or  alabaster,  very  beautiful. 
The  other  sandstones  are  grey,  yellow,  and 
ferruginous,  sometimes  very  coarse.  The 
apparent  sterility  of  the  country  must  there- 
fore be  sought  lor  in  otlier  causes  than  the 
nature  of  tlie  soil.  The  face  of  the  country 
cannot  with  propriety  be  called  hilly.  It  is 
a  succession  of  long  ridges,  made  by  the  nu- 
Merous  atreams  which  come  down  from  the 
Dsighboring  mountain  range.  The  ridges 
luiTe  an  undulating  surface,  with  some  such 
appearance  as  the  ocean  presents  in  an  ordi- 
■MBT  breeie. 

The  vt»i  whidi  ii  now  generally  followed 


through  thia  region  ia  therefore  a  very  good 
one,  without  any  diflScult  aacenta  to  over' 
come.  The  principal  obstructiona  are  near 
the  river,  wnere  the  transient  waters  oi 
heavy  raina  have  made  deep  ravinea  witb 
ateep  banka,  which  rendera  frequent  circuita 
necessary.  It  will  be  remembered  that  wa- 
gons pass  this  road  only  once  or  twice  a 
year,  which  is  by  no  means  sufficic'it  to 
break  down  the  stubborn  roots  of  the  innu- 
merable artemisia  bushes.  A  partial  ab> 
sence  of  these  is  often  the  only  indication  of 
the  track ;  and  the  roughness  produced  by 
their  roots  in  many  places  gives  the  road  the 
cliaracter  of  one  newly  opened  in  a  wooded 
country.  This  is  usually  considered  the 
worst  part  of  the  road  east  of  the  mountains ; 
and,  as  it  passes  through  an  open  prairie 
region,  may  be  much  improved,  so  as  to 
avoid  the  greater  part  of  the  inequalities  it 
now  presents. 

From  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  to  the 
Green  river  valley,  west  of  the  Rocky  moun. 
tains,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  mountain 
road  on  the  line  of  communication. 

We  continued  our  way,  and  four  roiiea 
beyond  the  ford  Indians  were  discovered 
again ;  and  I  halted  while  a  party  were  sent 
forward  to  ascertain  who  they  were.  In  a 
short  time  they  returned,  accompanied  by  a 
number  of  Indians  of  the  Oglallah  band  of 
Sioux.  From  them  we  received  some  inter- 
esting information.  They  had  formed  part 
of  the  great  village,  which  they  informed  ui 
had  broken  up,  and  was  on  it&  way  home. 
The  greater  part  of  the  village,  includir  t  ♦!» 
Arapahoes,  Cheyennes,  andOglallahs  had 
crossed  the  Platte  eight  or  ten  miles  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Sweet  Water,  and  were 
now  behind  the  mountains  to  the  south  of 
us,  intending  to  regain  the  Platte  by  way  of 
Deer  creek.  They  had  taken  this  unusual 
route  in  search  of  grass  and  game.  They 
gave  us  a  very  discouraging  picture  of  the 
country.  The  great  drought,  and  the  plague 
of  grasshoppers,  had  swept  it  so  that  scarce 
a  blade  of  grass  was  to  be  seen,  and  there 
was  not  a  buffalo  to  be  found  in  the  whole 
region.  Their  people,  they  further  said,  had 
been  nearly  starved  to  death,  and  we  would 
find  their  road  marked  by  lodges  which  tliey 
had  thrown  away  in  order  to  move  more  n- 
pidly,  and  by  the  carcasses  of  the  horees 
which  they  had  eaten,  or  which  had  perished 
by  starvation.  Such  was  the  prospect  be- 
fore us. 

When  he  had  finished  the  interpretation 
of  these  things,  Mr.  Bissonette  immediately 
rode  up  to  me,  and  urgently  advised  that  1 
should  entirely  abandon  the  further  prosecu- 
tion of  my  exploration.  "  Le  meil/eure  am 
que  je  fourrais  voxu  dormer  c'est  de  rnrer  in 
tuite"  " The  best  advice  I  can  give  yoo, 
is  to  turn  back  at  once."    It  was  hia  own 


1184S. 

ire  a  very  good 
icenU  to  over* 
Btiona  are  near 
ient  waters  ol 
p  ravines  with 
requent  circuiu 
ibered  that  wt- 
nee  or  twice  » 
ns  Bufficio.'it  to 
ots  of  the  innu- 
A  partial  ab^ 
ily  indication  o( 
88  produced  by 
ves  the  road  tiie 
led  in  a  wooded 
considered  the 
the  mountains; 
an  open  prairie 
-oved,  so  ag  to 
e  inequalities  it 

JCansas   to  the 
ie  Rocky  mouii- 

as  a  mountain 
cation. 

and  four  miles 
vere  discovered 
party  were  sent 
ley  were.  Ini 
icompanied  bvi 
)glallah  band  of 
lived  some  inter- 
had  formed  part 
hey  informed  ui 

it&  way  home, 
;e,  includir  k,  ^'le 
i  Oglallahs.'had 
ten  miles  below 
ftiXer,  and  were 

to  the  south  ol 
*latte  by  way  of 
en  this  unusual 
d  game.  They 
picture  of  the 
t,  and  the  plague 
it  so  that  scarce 

seen,  and  there 
iid  in  the  whole 

further  said,  had 
1,  and  we  would 
dges  which  tliey 
o  move  more  ra- 
of  the  horees 
lich  had  perished 

the  prospect  be- 

le  interpretatioB 

ette  immediately 

y  advised  that! 

further  proEecu- 

Le  tneiHeure  avis 

•  c'est  de  virer  ii 

I  can  give  you, 

It  was  his  own 


1843.1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


s 


intention  to  return,  as  wo  had  now  reached 
the  point  to  which  he  had  engaged  to  attend 
me.  In  reply,  I  called  up  my  men,  and  com< 
inunicated  to  them  fully  the  information  I 
had  just  received.  I  then  expressed  to  them 
my  fixed  determination  to  proceed  to  the  end 
of  the  enterprise  on  which  I  had  been  sent ; 
but  as  the  situation  of  the  country  gave  me 
«omc  reason  to  apprehend  that  it  might  be 
attended  with  an  unfortunate  result  to  some 
of  UK,  I  would  leave  it  optional  with  them  to 
continue  with  me  or  to  return. 

Among  them  were  some  five  or  six  who  I 
knew  would  remain.  We  had  still  ten  days* 
provisions ;  and,  should  no  game  be  found, 
when  this  stock  was  expended,  we  had  our 
horses  and  mules,  which  we  cuuld  eat  when 
other  means  of  subsistence  failed.  But  not 
a  man  flinched  from  the  undertaking. 
"  We'll  eat  the  mules,"  said  Basil  Lajeunea- 
se ;  and  thereupon  we  shook  hands  with  our 
interpreter  and  his  Indians,  and  parted. 
With  them  I-  sent  back  one  of  my  men, 
Dum^s,  whom  the  effects  of  an  old  wound 
in  the  leg  rendered  incapable  of  continuing 
the  jouiiay  on  foot,  and  his  horse  seemed  on 
the  point  of  giving  out.  Having  resolved  to 
disencumber  ourselves  immediately  of  every- 
thing not  absolutely  necessary  to  our  future 
operations,  I  turned  directly  in  toward  the 
river,  and  encamped  on  the  left  bank,  a  little 
above  the  place  where  our  council  had  been 
held,  and  where  a  thick  grove  of  willows 
offered  a  suitable  spot  for  the  object  I  had  in 
view. 

The  carts  having  been  discharged,  the 
covers  and  wheels  were  taken  off,  and,  with 
the  frames,  carried  into  some  low  places 
among  the  willows,  and  concealed  in  the 
dense  foliage  in  such  a  manner  that  the  glit- 
ter of  the  iron  work  might  not  attract  the  ob- 
servation of  some  straggling  Indian.  In  the 
sand,  which  had  been  blown  up  into  waves 
among  the  willAvs,  a  large  hole  was  then 
dug,  ten  feet  square,  and  six  deep.  In  the 
meantime,  all  our  effects  had  been  spread 
out  upon  the  ground,  and  whatever  was  de- 
signea  to  be  carried  along  with  us  separated 
and  laid  aside,  and  the  remaining  part  car- 
ried to  the  hole  and  carefully  covered  up. 
As  much  as  possible,  all  traces  of  our  pro- 
ceedings were  obliterated,  ahd  it  wanted  but 
a  rain  to  render  our  cache  safe  beyond  dis- 
covery. All  the  men  were  now  set  at  work 
to  arrange  the  pack-saddles  and  make  up  the 
packs. 

The  day  was  very  warm  and  calm,  and 
the  sky  entirely  clear,  except  where,  as 
usual  along  the  summits  of  the  mountainous 
ridge  opposite,  the  clouds  had  congregated 
in  masses.  Our  lodge  had  been  planted, 
and  en  account  of  the  beat,  the  ground  pins 
had  been  taken  out,  and  the  lower  part 
■lightly  raised.    Near  to  it  waa  standing  the 


barometer,  which  swung  in  a  tripod  frame ; 
and  within  the  lodge,  where  a  small  Are  had 
been  built,  Mr.  Preusa  was  occupied  in  ol^ 
serving  the  temperature  of  boihng  water. 
At  this  instant,  and  without  any  warning 
until  it  was  within  fifty  yards,  a  violent  gust 
of  wind  danhed  down  the  lodge,  burying  un- 
der it  Mr.  PreuBs  and  about  a  dozen  men, 
who  had  attempted  to  keep  it  from  being 
carried  away.  I  succeedca  in  saving  the 
barometer,  which  the  lodge  wan  carrying  off 
with  itself,  but  the  thermometer  was  broxen. 
We  had  no  others  of  a  high  graduation,  none 
of  those  which  remained  going  higher  than 
135°  Fahrenheit.  Our  astronomical  obser- 
vations gave  to  this  place,  which  wo  named 
Cache  ciunp,  a  longitude  of  lOe"  38'  26", 
latitude  42°  50'  63''. 

July  29. — All  our  arrangements  having 
been  completed,  we  loft  the  encampment  at 
7  o'clock  this  morning.  In  this  vicinity  the 
ordinary  road  leaves  the  Platte,  and  crosses 
over  to  the  Sweet  Water  river,  which  it 
strikes  near  Rock  Independence.  Instead 
of  following  this  road,  I  had  determined  to 
keep  the  immediate  valley  of  the  Platte  so 
far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Sweet  Water,  in  tho 
expectation  of  finding  better  grass.  "To  this 
I  was  further  prompted  by  the  nature  of  my 
instructions.  To  Mr.  Carson  was  assigned 
the  office  of  guide,  as  we  had  now  reached 
a  part  of  the  country  with  which,  or  a  great 
part  of  which,  long  residence  had  made  him 
familiar.  In  a  few  miles  we  reached  tho 
Red  Buttes,  a  famous  landmark  in  this  coun- 
try, whose  geological  composition  is  red 
sandstone,  limestone,  and  calcareous  sand- 
stone and  pudding  stone. 

The  river  here  cuts  its  way  through  a 
ridge ;  on  the  eastern  side  of  it  are  the  lofty 
escarpments  of  red  argillaceous  sandstone, 
which  are  called  the  Red  Buttes.  In  thin 
passage  the  stream  is  not  much  compressed 
or  pent  up,  there  being  a  bank  of  consider- 
able though  variable  breadth  on  either  side. 
Immediately  on  entering,  we  discovered  a 
band  of  buffalo.  The  hunters  failed  to  kill 
any  of  them ;  the  leading  hunter  being 
thrown  into  a  ravine,  which  occasioned  soma 
delay,  and  in  the  meantime  the  herd  clam- 
bered up  the  steep  face  of  the  ridge.  It  is 
sometimes  wonderful  to  see  these  apparently 
clumsy  animals  make  their  way  up  and 
down  the  most  rugged  and  broken  preci- 
pices. We  halted  to  noon  before  we  had 
cleared  this  passage,  at  a  spot  twelve  miles 
distant  from  Cachs  camp,  where  we  found 
an  abundance  of  grass.  So  far,  the  account 
of  the  Indians  was  found  to  be  false.  Oa 
the  banks  were  willow  and  cherry  trees. 
The  cherries  were  not  yet  ripe,  but  in  the 
thickets  were  numerous  fresh  tracks  of  the 
frizzly  bear,  which  are  very  fond  of  thie 
fruit    The  soU  here  is  red,  the  compositiMi 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841, 


I 


beiig  derived  from  the  red  aandatone. 
About  eeven  milee  brought  us  through  the 
ridge,  in  which  the  course  of  the  river  is 
north  and  south.  Here  the  valley  opens  out 
broadly,  and  high  walls  of  the  red  formation 
present  themselves  among  the  hills  to  the 
oast.  Wo  crowscd  here  a  pretty  little  creek, 
an  affluent  of  the  right  bank.  It  is  well 
timbered  with  cotton-wood  in  this  vicinity, 
and  the  absinthe  has  lost  its  shrub-like  char- 
acter, and  becomes  small  trees  six  and  eight 
feet  in  height,  and  sometimes  eigiit  inches 
in  diameter.  Two  or  throe  miles  abeve  this 
creek  we  made  our  encampment,  having 
travelled  to^lay  twenty-fivo  miles.  Our  ani- 
mals fared  well  here,  as  there  is  an  abun- 
dance of  grass.  The  river  bed  is  made  up 
of  pebbles,  and  in  the  bank,  at  the  level  of 
the  water,  is  a  conglomerate  of  coarse  peb- 
bles about  tho  size  of  ostrich  eggs,  and 
which  I  remarked  in  the  banks  of  the  liara- 
mie  fork.  It  is  overlaid  by  a  soil  of  mixed 
clay  and  sand,  six  feet  thick.  By  astrono- 
mical observations,  our  position  is  in  longi- 
tude 106*'  64'  32",  and  latitude  42°  38'. 

July  30. — After  travelling  about  twelve 
miles  this  morning,  we  reached  a  place  where 
the  Indian  village  had  crossed  the  river. 
Here  were  the  poles  of  discarded  lodges  and 
skeletons  of  horses  lying  about.  Air.  Car- 
ion,  who  had  never  been  higher  up  than  this 
loint  on  the  river,  which  has  the  character 
.^f  bein^  exceedingly  rugged,  and  walled  in 
by  precipices  above,  thought  it  advisable  to 
camp  near  this  place,  where  we  were  certain 
of  obtaining  grass,  and  to-morrow  make  our 
crossing  among  the  rugged  hills  to  the  Sweet 
Water  river.  Accordingly  we  turned  back 
and  descended  the  river  to  an  island  near  by, 
which  was  about  twenty  acres  in  size,  cover- 
ed with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass.  The 
formation  here  I  found  highly  interesting. 
Immediately  at  this  island  tne  river  is  again 
shut  up  in  the  rugged  hills,  which  come 
down  to  it  from  the  main  ridge  in  a  succes- 
sion of  spurs  three  or  four  hundred  feet  high, 
and  alternated  with  green  level  prairillons  or 
meadows,  borflcred  on  the  river  banks  with 
thickets  of  willow,  and  having  many  plants 
to  interest  the  traveller.  The  island  lies  be- 
tween two  of  these  ridges,  three  or  four 
hundred  yards  apart,  of  which  that  on  the 
right  bank  is  composed  entirely  of  red  argil- 
laceous sandstone,  with  thin  layers  of  fibrous 
gypsum.  On  the  left  bank,  the  ridge  is  com- 
posed entirely  of  siliceous  pudding  stone,  the 
pebbles  in  the  numerous  strata  increasing  in 
size  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  where  uey 
are  as  large  as  a  man's  head.  So  far  as  1 
was  able  to  determiae,  these  strata  incline  to 
the  northeast,  with  a  dip  of  about  15°.  This 
podding  stone,  or  conglomerate  formation,  I 
wu  enabled  to  trace  throagh  an  extended 
noge  of  coontiy,  from  a  few  miles  east  of 


the  meridian  of  Fort  Laramie  to  where  I 
found  it  superposed  on  the  granite  of  tbe 
Rocky  mountains,  in  long  ide  109"  W. 
From  its  appearance,  the  mam  chain  of  the 
Laramie  mountain  is  composed  of  thie  rock , 
and  in  a  number  of  places  I  found  isolated 
hills,  which  served  to  mark  a  former  level, 
which  had  been  probably  swept  away. 

These  conglomerates  are  very  friable,  and 
easily  decomposed ;  and  I  am  inclined  to 
think  this  formation  is  the  source  from  which 
was  derived  the  great  deposite  of  sand  and 
gravel  which  forms  the  surface  rock  of  the 
prairie  country  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

Crossing  the  ridge  of  red  sandstone,  and 
traversing  the  little  prairie  which  lies  to  tlie 
southward  of  it,  we  made  in  the  afternoon  an 
excursion  to  a  place  which  wo  have  called 
the  Hot  Spring  Gate.  This  place  has  mucli 
the  appearance  of  a  gate,  by  which  the 
Platte  passes  through  a  ridge  composed  of  & 
white  and  calcareous  sandstone.  The  length 
of  the  passage  is  about  four  hundred  yards, 
with  a  smooth  green  prairie  on  either  side. 
Through  this  place,  the  stream  flows  with  a 
quiet  current,  unbroken  by  any  rapid,  and  ii 
about  seventy  yards  wide  between  the  walls, 
which  rise  perpendicularly  from  the  water, 
To  that  on  the  right  bank,  which  is  the 
lower,  the  barometer  gave  a  height  of  three 
hundred  and  sixty  feet.  This  place  will  be 
more  particularly  described  hereafter,  as  wa 
passea  through  it  on  our  return. 

We  saw  here  numerous  herds  of  mountaii 
sheep,  and  frequently  heard  the  volley  of 
rattling  stones  which  accompanied  their  rapid 
descent  down  the  steep  hills.  This  was  the 
first  place  at  which  we  had  killed  any  of 
these  animnls ;  and,  in  consequence  of  thii 
circumstance,  and  of  the  abundance  of  these 
sheep  or  goats  (for  they  are  called  by  each 
name),  we  gave  to  our  encampment  the  name 
of  Goat  Island.  Their  flesh  is  much  es- 
teemed by  the  hunters,  and  has  very  much 
the  flavor  of  the  Allegany  mountain  sheep. 
I  have  frequently  seen  the  horns  of  this  ani- 
mal three  feet  long  and  seventeen  inches  in 
circumference  at  the  base,  weighing  eleven 

Eounds.  But  two  or  three  of  these  were 
illed  by  our  party  at  this  place,  and  of  these 
the  horns  were  small.  The  use  of  these 
horns  seems  to  be  to  protect  the  animal's 
head  in  pitching  down  precipices  to  avoid 
pursuing  wolves — their  only  safety  being  in 
places  where  they  cannot  be  followed.  The 
bones  are  very  strong  and  solid,  the  marrow 
occupying  but  a  very  small  portion  of  tlie 
bone  in  the  leg,  about  the  thickness  of  a  rye 
straw.  The  nair  is  short,  resembling  tlu 
winter  color  of  our  common  deer,  which  il 
nearly  approaches  in  size  and  appearance. 
Except  in  the  horns,  it  has  no  resemblance 
whatever  to  the  goat.  The  longitude  of  this 
place,  resulting  from  chronometer  and  lunar 


[1841 

lie  to  whvft  I 
granite  of  tU 

ide  109»  00'. 
in  chain  of  the 
)d  of  thii  rock , 
found  iiolate4 
a  former  level, 
pt  away, 
ery  friable,  and 
im  inclined  to 
irce  from  which 
ite  of  sand  and 
ICO  rock  of  the 
liBsissippi. 

Bandfltone,  and 
hich  lies  to  Uie 
he  afternoon  ao 
A'o  have  called 
place  has  much 

by  which  the 
>  composed  of  a 
ne.  The  length 
hundred  yards, 

on  either  Bide. 
im  flows  with  a 
ny  rapid,  and  ig 
:ween  the  walls, 
rom  the  water. 
,  which  is  the 
height  of  three 
is  place  will  be 
hereafter,  aa  wa 

rn. 

rds  of  mountaii 

the  volley  of 
janied  their  rapid 
This  was  the 
killed  any  of 
equence  of  thii 
ndance  of  these 

called  by  eacli 
pment  the  name 
ih   is  much  es- 

has  very  much 
nountain  sheep. 
}rns  of  this  ani- 
nteen  inches  in 
kveighing  eleven 

of  these  were 
ice,  and  of  these 
ic  use  of  these 
>ct  the  animal's 
cipices  to  avoid 

safety  being  in 

followed.  The 
olid,  the  marrow 
portion  of  the 
lickness  of  a  rye 

resembling  th4 
n  deer,  which  il 
md  appearance. 

no  resemblance 

longitude  of  this 
meter  and  lunar 


1S4I.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


diatancN,  and  an  occultation  of  Arietii,  is 
107«  13'  39",  and  the  latitude  42<*  33'  37". 
One  of  our  horBei,  which  had  given  out,  wo 
left  to  receive  strength  on  the  island,  intend- 
ing to  take  her,  perhaps,  on  our  return. 

July  31. — This  morning  we  left  the  course 
of  the  [Matte,  to  cross  over  to  the  Sweet  Wa- 
ter. Our  way,  for  a  few  miles,  lay  up  the 
Hsiidy  bed  of  a  dry  creek,  in  which  I  found 
several  iniorcsting  plants.  Leaving  this,  we 
\\-oiind  our  way  to  the  summit  of  the  hills, 
of  which  the  peaka  are  here  eight  hundred 
icet  above  the  Platte,  bare  and  rocky.  A 
long  and  gradual  slope  led  from  these  hills 
to  the  Sweet  Water,  which  we  reached  in 
tiftocu  miles  from  Goat  Island.  I  made  an 
'•arly  encampment  here,  in  order  to  give  the 
hunters  an  opportunity  to  procure  a  supply 
from  several  bands  of"^  buffalo,  which  made 
their  appearance  in  the  valley  near  by.  The 
»itreatn  here  is  about  sixty  feet  wide,  and  at 
this  time  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  deep, 
with  a  very  moderate  current. 

The  adjoining  prairies  are  sandy,  but  the 
immediate  river  bottom  is  a  good  soil,  which 
ulliirded  an  abundance  of  soil  green  grass  to 
our  horses,  and  where  I  found  a  variety  of 
i.iteresting  plants,  which  made  their  appear- 
ance for  the  first  time.  A  rain  to-night 
made  it  unpleasantly  cold ;  and  there  was  no 
tree  here,  to  enable  us  to  pitch  our  single 
tent,  the  poles  of  which  had  been  left  at 
Caclie  camp.  We  had,  therefore,  no  shelter 
except  what  was  to  be  found  under  cover  of 
the  absinthe  bushes,  which  grew  in  many 
thick  patches,  one  or  two  and  sometimes 
three  feet  high. 

August  1. — The  hunters  went  ahead  this 
morning,  as  buffalo  appeared  tolerably  abun- 
dant, and  I  was  desirous  to  secure  a  small 
stock  of  provisions;  and  we  moved  about 
seven  miles  up  the  valley,  and  encamped  one 
mile  below  Rock  Independence.  This  is  an 
isolated  granite  rock,  about  six  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  long,  and  forty  in  heiglit.  Except 
in  a  depression  of  the  summit,  where  a  little 
soil  supports  a  scanty  growth  of  shrubs,  with 
a  solitary  dwarf  pine,  it  is  entirely  bare. 
Everywhere  within  six  or  eight  feet  of  the 
ground,  where  the  surface  is  sufficiently 
smooth,  and  in  some  placess  sixty  or  eighty 
feet  above,  the  rock  is  inscribed  with  the 
names  of  travellers.  Many  a  name  famuiis 
in  the  history  of  this  country,  and  some  well 
known  to  science,  are  to  be  found  mixed 
among  those  of  the  traders  and  of  travellers 
for  pleasure  and  curiosity,  and  of  missiona- 
ries among  the  savages.  Some  of  these 
have  been  washed  away  by  the  rain,  but  the 
greater  number  are  still  very  legible.  The 
position  of  this  rock  is  in  longitude  107°  56', 
latitude  AQP  29'  36".  We  remained  at  our 
camp  of  August  1st  until  noon  of  the  next 
ifVf,  occopiM  in  drying  meat.    By  observa- 


tion, the  lorgitude  of  the  place  if  \QT28r 
93",  latitude  4!2<' 29' 66". 
August  3. — Five  miles  above  Rock  Inde- 

Kndence  we  came  to  a  place  called  th« 
svil's  IJate,  where  the  Sweet  Water  cuts 
through  the  point  of  a  granite  ridge.  Thn 
length  of  the  passage  is  about  three  hundred 
yanis,  and  the  width  thirty-five  yards.  The 
wsIIh  of  rock  are  vertical,  and  about  four 
hiiiulrpd  feet  in  height ;  and  the  stream  in 
tilt;  gate  is  almost  entirely  choked  up  by 
muss*  s  which  have  fallen  from  above.  In  the 
wall,  on  the  right  bank,  is  a  dike  of  trap  rock, 
cutting  througn  a  fine-grained  grey  granite. 
Near  the  point  of  this  ridge  crop  out  some 
strata  of  the  valley  formation,  consisting  of  a 
greyish  micaceous  sandstone,  and  fine-grained 
conglomerate,  and  marl.  We  encamped  eight 
miles  above  the  Devil's  Gate.  There  was 
no  timber  of  any  kind  on  the  river,  but  good 
fires  were  made  of  drift  wood,  aided  by  the 
bois  de  vache. 

We  had  to-night  no  shelter  from  the  rain, 
which  commenced  with  squalls  of  wind  about 
sunset.  Tlie  country  here  is  exceedingly 
picturesque.  On  either  side  of  the  valley, 
which  is  four  or  five  miles  broad,  the  moun- 
tains rise  to  the  height  of  twelve  and  fifteen 
hundred  or  two  thousand  feet.  On  the  south 
side,  the  range  nppears  to  be  timbered,  and 
to-night  is  luminous  with  fires — probably  the 
work  of  the  Indians,  who  have  just  passed 
through  the  valley.  On  the  north,  broken 
and  granite  masses  rise  abruptly  from  the 

fjreen  sward  of  the  river,  terminating  in  a 
ine  of  broken  summits.  Except  in  the  cre- 
vices of  the  rock,  and  here  and  there  on  a 
ledge  or  bench  of  the  mountain,  where  a  few 
hardy  pines  havo  clustered  together,  these 
are  perfectly  bare  and  destitute  of  vegetation. 

Among  these  musses,  where  there  are 
sometimes  isolated  hilla  and  ridges,  green 
valleys  open  in  upon  the  river,  which  sweeps 
the  base  of  these  mountains  for  thirty-s4x 
miles.  Everywhere  its  deep  verdure  and 
profusion  of  beautiful  flowers  is  in  pleasing 
contrast  with  the  sterile  grandeur  of  the  rock 
and  the  barrenness  of  the  sandy  plain,  which, 
from  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  sweeps  up 
to  the  mountain  range  that  forms  its  south- 
ern boundary.  The  great  evaporation  on  the 
sandy  soil  of  this  elevated  plain,  and  the  sa- 
line efflorescences  which  whiten  the  ground, 
and  shine  like  lakes  reflecting  the  sun,  make 
a  soil  wholly  unfit  for  cultivation. 

August  3. — We  were  early  on  the  road 
the  next  morning,  travelling  along  the  up- 
land part  of  the  valley,  which  is  overgrown 
with  artemisia.  Scattered  about  on  the 
plain  are  occasional  small  isolated  hills. 
One  of  these  which  I  have  examined,  about 
flfty  feet  high,  consisted  of  v/hite  clay  and 
marl,  in  nearly  horizontal  strata.  Several 
bands  of  buffiuo  made  their  appearance  to- 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


L1843 


II 


day,  with  herds  of  antelope ;  and  a  grizzly 
bear — the  only  one  we  encountered  during 
the  journey — was  seen  scrambling  up  among 
the  rocks.  As  we  passed  over  a  slight  rise 
near  the  river,  we  caught  the  first  view  of 
the  Wind  river  mountains,  appearing,  at  this 
distance  of  about  seventy  miles,  to  be  a  low 
and  dark  mountainous  ridge.  The  view  dis- 
HJpated  in  a  moment  the  pictures  which  had 
been  created  in  our  minds,  by  many  descrip- 
tions of  travellers,  who  have  compared  these 
mountains  to  the  Alps  in  Switzerland,  and 
speak  ot  the  glittering  peaks  which  rise  in 
icy  majesty  amidst  the  eternal  glaciers  nine 
or  ten  thousand  feet  into  the  region  of  eter- 
nal snows.  The  nakedness  of  the  river  was 
relieved  by  groves  of  willows,  where  we  en- 
camped at  night,  after  a  march  of  twenty-six 
miles ;  and  numerous  bright-colored  flowers 
iiad  made  the  river  bottom  look  gay  as  a  gar- 
ilen.  We  found  here  a  horse,  which  nad 
been  abandoned  by  the  Indians,  because  his 
iioofa  had  been  so  much  worn  that  he  was 
unable  to  travel ;  and  during  the  night  a  dog 
came  into  the  camp. 

August  4. — Our  camp  was  at  the  foot  of 
the  granite  mountains,  which  we  climbed 
this  morning  to  take  some  barometrical 
lieights ;  and  here  among  tho  rocks  was  seen 
the  first  magpie.  On  our  return,  we  saw 
one  at  the  mouth  of  the  Platte  river.  We 
Icit  here  one  of  our  horses,  which  was  una- 
ble, to  proceed  farther.  A  few  miles  from 
tlie  encampment  we  left  the  river,  which 
makes  a  bend  to  the  south,  and  traversing 
an  undulating  country,  consisting  of  a  grey- 
ish micaceous  sandstone  and  fine-grained 
conglomerates,  struck  it  again,  and  encamp- 
ed, after  a  journey  of  twenty-five  miles.  As- 
tronomical observations  placed  us  in  latitude 
42°  32'  30'^  and  longitude  lOS"  30'  13" 

August  5. — ^The  morning  was  dark,  with 
a  driving  rain,  and  disagreeably  cold.  We 
continued  our  route  as  usual ;  but  the  wea- 
ther became  so  bad,  that  we  were  glad  to 
avail  ourselves  of  the  shelter  ofiered  by  a 
small  island,  about  ten  miles  above  our  last 
encampment,  which  was  covered  with  a 
dense  growth  of  willows.  There  was  fine 
grass  lor  our  animals,  and  the  timber  affi)rded 
us  comfortable  protection  and  good  fires.  In 
tiie  afternoon,  the  sun  broke  through  the 
clouds  tor  a  short  time,  and  the  barometer  at 
5,  p.  m.,  was  at  23.713,  the  thermometer  60o, 
with  the  wind  strong  from  the  northwest. 
We  availed  ourselves  of  the  fine  we-^'her  to 
make  excursions  in  the  neighborhowl.  The 
river,  at  this  place,  is  bordered  by  hills  of  the 
valley  formation.  They  are  of  moderate 
height ;  one  of  the  highest  peaks  on  the  right 
bank  being,  according  to  the  barometer,  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the  river.  On 
th*  left  bank  they  are  higher.  They  consist 
of  a  fine  white  clayey  sandstone,  a  v^hite 


calcareous  sandstone,  and  coarse  sandstone 
or  pudding  stone. 

August  6. — It  continued  steadily  raining 
all  the  day ;  but,  notwithstanding,  we  left  out 
encampment  in  the  afternoon.  Our  animals 
had  been  much  refreshed  by  their  repose, 
and  an  abundance  of  rich,  soft  grass,  which 
had  been  much  improved  by  the  rains.  In 
about  three  miles,  we  reached  the  entrance 
of  a  kanyon,  where  the  Sweet  Water  issues 
upon  the  more  open  valley  we  had  passed 
over.  Immediately  at  the  entrance,  and  su- 
perimposed directly  upon  the  granite,  are 
strata  of  compact  calcareous  sandstone  and 
chert,  alternating  with  fine  white  and  reddish 
white,  and  fine  grey  and  red  sandstones. 
These  strata  dip  to  the  eastward  at  an  angle 
of  about  18o,  and  form  the  western  limit  of 
the  sandstone  and  limestone  formations  on 
the  line  of  our  route.  Here  we  entered 
among  the  primitive  rocks.  The  usual  road 
passes  to  the  right  of  this  place;  but  wc 
wound,  or  rather  scrambled,  our  way  up  the 
narrow  valley  for  several  hours.  Wildne^s 
and  disorder  were  the  character  of  this 
scenery.  The  river  had  been  swollen  by  the 
late  rains,  and  came  rushing  through  with 
an  impetuous  current,  three  or  four  feet  deep, 
and  generally  twenty  yards  broad.  The  val- 
ley was  sometimes  the  breadth  of  the  stream, 
and  sometimes  opened  into  little  green  mea- 
dows, sixty  yards  wide,  with  open  groves  of 
aspen.  The  stream  was  bordered  through- 
out with  aspen,  beech,  and  willow ;  and  tall 
pines  grew  on  the  sides  and  summits  of  the 
crags.  On  both  sides,  the  granite  rocks  rose 
precipitously  to  the  height  of  three  hundred 
and  five  hundred  feet,  terminating  in  jagged 
and  broken  pointed  peaks ;  and  fragments  of 
fallen  rock  lay  piled  up  at  the  foot  of  the  pre- 
cipices. Gneiss,  mica  slate,  and  a  white 
granite,  were  among  the  varieties  I  noticed. 
Here  were  many  old  traces  of  beaver  on  the 
stream  ;  remnants  of  dams,  near  which  were 
lying  trees,  which  they  had  cut  down,  one 
and  two  feet  in  diameter.  The  hills  entirely 
shut  up  the  river  at  the  end  of  about  five 
miles,  and  we  turned  up  a  ravine  that  led  to 
a  high  prairie,  which  seemed  to  be  the  gene- 
ral level  of  the  country.  Hence,  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  ridge,  there  is  a  regular  and  very 
gradual  rise.  Blocks  of  granite  were  piled  up 
at  the  heads  of  the  ravines,  and  small  bare 
knolls  of  mica  slate  and  milky  quartz  pro- 
truded at  frequent  intervals  on  the  prairie, 
which  was  whitened  in  occasional  spots  with 
small  salt  lakes,  where  the  water  had  evapo- 
rated, and  left  the  bed  covered  with  a  shin- 
ing incrustation  of  salt.  The  evening  was 
very  cold,  a  northwest  wind  driving  a  fine 
rain  in  our  faces;  and  at  nightfall  we  de- 
scended to  a  little  stream,  on  which  we  en- 
camped, about  two  miles  from  the  Sweet 
Water.    Here  bad  recently  been  a  T«ri 


L1843 

irse  sanditoM 

«adilj  raining 
ing,  we  left  ouj 
Our  animals 
f  their  repose, 
ft  grasa,  which 
the  rains.  In 
1  the  entrance 
t  Water  issues 
ve  had  passed 
trance,  and  su- 
ic  granite,  are 
sandstone  and 
lite  and  reddish 
ed  sandstones. 
ard  at  an  angle 
astern  limit  of 

formations  on 
■e  we  entered 
The  usual  road 
place;  but  wc 
3ur  way  up  the 
irs.  Wilaness 
racter  of  this 
1  swollen  by  the 
y  through  with 
r  four  feet  deep, 
iroad.  The  val- 
h  of  the  stream, 
ttle  green  mea- 
open  groves  of 
dered  through- 
illow;  and  tall 
summits  of  the 
anite  rocks  rose 

three  hundred 
ating  in  jagged 
id  fragments  of 
;  foot  of  the  pre- 
!,  and  a  white 
ieties  I  noticed. 
»f  beaver  on  the 
ear  which  were 
cut  down,  one 
'he  hills  entirely 
cl  of  about  five 
ivine  that  led  to 

to  be  the  gene- 
nee,  to  the  sum- 
;gular  and  very 
ite  were  piled  up 
,  and  small  bare 
Iky  quartz  pr(^ 

on  the  prairie, 
nonal  spots  with 
vater  had  evapo- 
id  with  a  shin- 
16  evening  was 
1  driving  a  fine 
nightfall  we  do- 
I  which  we  en- 
from  the  Sweet 
y  been  a  rari 


IMS-I 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


large  camp  of  Snak«  and  Crow  Indians ;  and 
some  large  polen  lying  about  afforded  the 
means  of  pitching  a  tent,  and  making  other 
places  of  shelter.  Our  fires  to-night  were 
made  principally  of  the  dry  branches  of  the 
artemisia,  which  covered  the  slopes.  It 
burns  quickly,  with  a  clear  oily  flame,  and 
makes  a  hot  fire.  The  hills  here  are  com- 
posed of  hard,  compact  mica  slate,  with  veins 
of  quartz. 

Xugusl  7. — ^We  left  our  encampment  with 
the  rising  sun.  As  we  rose  from  the  bed  of 
the  creek,  the  inovo  line  of  the  mountains 
stretched  grandly  before  us,  the  white  peaks 
littering  in  the  sun.  They  had  been  hid- 
den in  the  dark  weather  of  the  last  few  days, 
and  it  had  been  snowinff  on  them,  while  it 
rjined  in  the  plains.  We  crossed  a  ridge, 
and  again  struck  the  Sweet  Water — here  a 
beautiful,  swift  stream,  with  a  more  open 
valley,  timbered  with  beech  and  cotton  wood. 
It  '.ovv  began  to  lose  itself  in  the  many  small 
fr  rks  which  make  its  head ;  and  we  conti- 
nued up  the  main  stream  until  near  noon, 
when  we  left  it  a  few  miles,  to  make  our 
noon  halt  on  a  small  creek  among  the  hills, 
from  which  the  stream  issues  by  a  small 
opening.  Within  was  a  beautiful  grassy 
spot,  covered  with  an  open  grove  of  large 
beech  trees,  among  which  I  found  several 
plants  that  I  had  not  previously  seen. 

The  afternoon  was  cloudy,  with  s()uall8  of 
rain ;  but  the  weather  became  fine  at  sun- 
set, when  we  again  encamped  on  the  Sweet 
Water,  within  a  few  miles  of  the  South 
Pass.  The  country  over  which  we  have 
passed  to-day  consists  principally  of  the 
compact  mica  slate,  which  crops  out  on  all 
ridges,  making  the  uplands  very  rocky  and 
slaty.  In  the  escarpments  which  border  the 
cre<jks,  it  is  seen  alternating  with  a  light- 
colored  granite,  at  an  inclination  of  45^; 
the  beds  varying  in  thickness  from  two  or 
three  feet  to  six  or  eight  hundred.  At  a  dis- 
tance, the  granite  frequently  has  the  appear- 
ance of  irregular  lumps  of  clay,  hardened 
by  exposure.  A  variety  of  asters  may  now 
be  numbered  among  the  characteristic 
plants,  and  the  artemisia  continues  in  full 
glory;  but  cacti  have  become  rare,  and 
mosses  begin  to  dispute  the' hills  with  them. 
The  evening  was  damp  and  unpleasant ;  the 
thermometer,  at  10  o'clock,  being  at  36°, 
and  the  grass  wet  with  a  heavy  dew.  Our 
astronomical  observations  placed  this  en- 
campment in  longitude  109°  21 '  32'^  and 
latitude  42°  27'  16". 

Early  in  the  morning  we  resumed  our 
journey,  the  weather  still  cloudy,  with  occa- 
•ional  rain.  Our  general  course  was  west, 
u  I  had  determined  to  cross  the  dividing 
ridge  by  a  bridle  path  among  the  broken 
country  more  immediately  at  the  foot  of  the 
aounUins,  and  return  by  the  wagon  ro«ui, 


two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  south  of  the  point 
where  the  trail  crosses 

About  six  miles  from  our  encampment 
brought  us  to  the  summit.  The  ascent  had 
been  so  gradual,  that,  with  all  the  intimate 
knowledge  possessed  by  Carson,  who  had 
made  this  country  his  home  for  seventeen 
years,  we  were  obliged  to  watch  very  close- 
ly to  find  the  place  at  which  we  had  reached 
the  culminating  point.  This  was  between 
two  low  hills,  rising  on  either  hand  fifty  or 
sixty  feet.  When  I  looked  back  at  them, 
from  the  foot  of  the  immediate  slope  on  the 
western  plain,  their  summits  appeared  to  be 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above. 
From  the  impression  on  my  mind  at  this 
time,  and  subsequently  on  our  return,  I 
should  compare  the  elevation  which  we  sur- 
mounted immediately  at  the  Pass,  to  the  as- 
cent of  the  Capitol  hill  from  the  avenue,  at 
Washington.  It  is  ditficult  for  me  to  fix 
positively  the  breadth  of  this  pass.  From 
the  broken  ground  where  it  commences,  at 
the  foot  of  the  Wind  river  chain,  the  view 
to  the  southeast  is  over  a  champaign  coun- 
try, broken,  at  the  distance  of  nineteen  miles, 
by  the  Table  rock ;  which,  with  the  other 
isolated  hills  in  its  vicinity,  seems  to  stand 
on  a  comparative  plain.  This  I  judged  to  be 
its  termination,  the  ridge  recovering  its  rug- 
ged character  with  the  Table  rock.  It  wul 
be  seen  that  it  in  no  manner  resembles  the 
places  to  which  the  term  is  commonly  ap- 
plied— nothing  of  the  gorge-like  character 
and  winding  ascents  of  the  Alleghany  pass- 
es in  America;  nothing  of  the  Great  St. 
Bernard  and  Simplon  passes  *in  Europe. 
Approaching  it  from  the  mouth  of  the  Sweet 
Water,  a  sandy  plain,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  long,  conducts,  by  a  gradual 
and  regular  ascent,  to  the  summit,  about 
seven  thousand  feet  above  the  sea:  and  the 
traveller,  without  being  reminded  ot  any 
change  by  toilsome  ascents,  suddenly  finds 
himself  on  the  waters  which  flow  to  the  Pa- 
cific ocean.  By  the  route  we  had  travelled, 
the  distance  from  Fort  Laramie  is  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  miles,  or  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas. 

Continuing  our  march,  we  reached,  in 
eight  miles  from  the  Pass,  the  Little  Sandy, 
one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Colorado,  or 
Green  river  of  the  Gulf  of  California  The 
weather  had  grown  fine  during  the  morning, 
and  we  remained  here  the  rest  of  the  day, 
to  dry  our  baggage  and  take  some  astrono- 
mical observations.  The  stream  was  about 
forty  feet  wide,  and  two  or  three  deep,  with 
clear  water  and  a  full  swift  current,  over  a 
sandy  bed.  It  was  timbered  with  a  growth 
of  low  bushy  and  dense  willows,  among 
which  were  little  verdant  spots,  which  gave 
our  animals  fine  grass,  and  where  I  found  a 
number  of  interesting  plants.    Among  tbm 


40 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1843. 


If 


■:    I 


neighboring  hills  I  noticed  fragments  of 
granite  containing  magnetic  iron.  Longi- 
tude of  the  camp  was  109°  37'  69",  and  lati- 
tude 42°  27'  34". 

August  9. — We  made  our  noon  halt  to- 
day on  Big  Sandy,  another  tributary  of  Green 
river.  Tvie  face  of  the  country  traversed 
was  of  a  brown  sand  of  granite  materials, 
the  detritus  of  the  neigh^ring  mountains. 
Strata  of  the  milky  quartz  cropped  out,  and 
blocks  of  granite  were  scatterea  about,  con- 
taining magnetic  iron.  On  Sandy  creek  the 
formation  was  of  parti-colored  sand,  exhibit- 
ed in  escarpments  fifty  to  eighty  feet  high. 
In  the  afternoon  we  had  a  severe  storm  of 
hail,  and  encamped  at  sunset  on  the  first 
New  Fork.  Within  the  space  of  a  few  miles, 
the  Wind  mountains  supply  a  number  of  tri- 
butaries to  Green  river,  which  are  called  the 
New  Forks.  Near  our  camp  were  two  re- 
markable isolated  hills,  one  of  them  suffi- 
ciently large  to  merit  the  name  of  mountain. 
They  are  called  the  Two  Buttes,  and  will 
serve  to  identify  the  place  of  our  encamp- 
ment, which  the  observations  of  the  evening 
placed  in  longitude  109"  58'  11  ",  and  lati- 
tude 42°  42 '  46 ' '.  On  the  right  bank  of  the 
stream,  opposite  to  the  large  hill,  the  strata 
which  are  displayed  consist  of  decomposing 
granite,  which  supplies  the  brown  sand  of 
which  the  face  of  the  country  is  composed 
to  a  considerable  depth. 

August  10. — The  air  at  sunrise  is  clear 
and  pure,  and  the  morning  extremely  cold, 
but  beautiful.  A  lofty  snow  peak  of  the 
mountain  is  glittering  m  the  firsl  rays  of  the 
sun,  which  nas  not  yet  reached  us.  The 
long  mountain  wall  to  the  east,  rising  two 
thousand  feet  abruptly  from  the  plain,  l^hind 
which  we  see  the  peaks,  is  still  dark,  and 
cuts  clear  against  the  glowing  sky.  A  fog, 
just  risen  from  the  river,  lies  along  the  base 
of  the  mountain.  A  little  before  sunrise,  the 
thermometer  was  at  36°,  and  at  sunrise  33°. 
Water  froze  last  night,  and  fires  are  very 
comfortable.  The  scenery  becomes  hourly 
more  iuceresting  and  grand,  and  the  view 
nere  is  truly  magnificent;  but,  indeed,  it 
needs  something  to  repay  the  long  prairie 
journey  of  a  thousand  miles.  The  sun  has 
just  shot  above  the  wall,  and  makes  a  magic- 
al change.  The  whole  valley  is  glowing  and 
bright,  and  all  the  mountain  peaks  are  gleam- 
ing like  silver.  Though  these  snow  moun- 
tains are  not  the  Alps,  they  have  their  own 
character  of  grandeur  and  magnificence,  and 
will  doubtless  find  pens  and  pencils  to  do 
them  justice.  In  the  scene  before  us,  we 
feel  how  much  wood  improves  a  view.  The 
pines  on  the  mountain  seemed  to  give  it  much 
additional  beauty.  I  was  agreeably  disap- 
pointed in  the  character  of  the  streams  on 
this  side  of  the  ridge.  Instead  of  the  creeks, 
whidi  description  had  led  me  to  expect,  I 


find  bold,  broad  streams,  with  three  or  four 
feet  water,  and  a  rapid  current.  The  fork 
on  which  we  are  encamped  is  upwards  of  a 
hundred  feet  wide,  timbered  with  groves  or 
thickets  of  the  low  willow.  We  were  now 
approaching  the  loftiest  part  of  the  Wind 
river  chain ;  and  I  left  the  valley  a  few  miiea 
from  our  encampment,  intending  to  penetrate 
the  mountains  as  far  as  possible  with  the 
whole  party.  We  were  soon  involved  in 
very  broken  ground,  among  long  ridges  cover- 
ed with  fragments  of  granite.  Winding  our 
way  up  a  long  ravine,  we  came  unexpected- 
ly in  view  of  a  most  beautiful  lake,  set  like 
a  gem  in  the  mountains.  The  sheet  of  iva- 
ter  lay  transversely  across  the  direction  we 
had  been  pursuing;  and,  descending  the 
steep,  rocky  ridge,  where  it  was  necessary  to 
lead  our  horses,  we  followed  its  ktnks  to  the 
southern  extremity.  Here  a  view  of  the  ut- 
most magnificence  and  grandeur  burst  upon 
our  eyes.  With  nothing  between  us  and 
their  feet  to  lessen  the  effect  of  the  whole 
height,  a  grand  bed  of  snow-capped  moun- 
tains rose  before  us,  pile  upon  pile,  glowing 
in  the  bright  light  of  an  August  day.  Im- 
mediately below  them  lay  the  lakei,  between 
two  ridges,  covered  with  dark  pines,  which 
swept  down  from  the  main  chain  to  the  spot 
where  we  stood.  Here,  where  the  lake  glit- 
tered in  the  open  sunlight,  its  banks  of  yellow 
sand  and  the  light  foliage  of  aspen  groves 
contrasted  well  -'ith  the  gloomy  pines. 
"  Never  before,"  said  Mr.  Preuss,  "  in  this 
country  or  in  Europe,  have  I  seen  such  mag- 
nificent, grand  rocks."  I  was  so  much 
pleased  with  the  beauty  of  the  place,  that  I 
determined  to  make  the  main  camp  here, 
where  our  animals  would  find  good  pastur- 
age, and  explore  the  mountains  with  a  small 
party  of  men.  Proceeding  a  little  further, 
we  came  suddenly  upon  the  outlet  of  the 
lake,  where  it  found  its  wav  through  a  narrow 
passage  between  low  hills.  Dark  pines, 
which  overhung  the  stream,  and  musses  of 
rock,  where  the  water  foamed  along,  gave  it 
much  romantic  beauty.  Where  we  crossed, 
which  was  immediately  at  the  outlet,  it  is  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide,  and  so  deep  that 
with  difficulty  we  were  able  to  ford  it.  Its 
bed  was  an  accumulation  of  rocks,  boulders, 
and  broad  slabs,  and  large  angular  frf.gments, 
among  which  the  animals  fell  repeatedly. 

The  current  was  very  swift,  and  the  water 
cold,  and  of  a  cryatal  purity.  In  crossing 
this  stream,  I  met  with  a  great  misfortune 
in  having  my  barometer  broken.  It  was  the 
only  one.  A  great  part  of  the  interest  ot 
the  journey  for  me  was  in  the  exploration  of 
these  mountains,  of  which  so  much  had 
been  said  that  was  doubtful  and  contradict 
ory ;  and  now  their  snowy  peaks  rose  ma- 
jestically before  me,  and  the  only  means  of 
giving  them  authentically  to  science,  th( 


[1841 

li  three  or  four 
«nt.    The  fork 
3  upwards  of  a 
witn  groves  or 
We  were  now 
t  of  the  Wind 
lley  a  few  miles 
ng  to  penetrate 
ssible  with  the 
on  involved  in 
ng  ridges  cover- 
Winding  our 
me  unexpected- 
il  lake,  set  lilie 
he  sheet  of  iva- 
le  direction  we 
descending  the 
lae  necessary  to 
its  banks  to  the 
view  of  the  ut- 
leur  burst  upon 
etween  us  and 
;t  of  the  whole 
t^-capped  moun- 
>n  pile,  glowing 
igust  day.    Im- 
le  lakei,  between 
rk  pines,  which 
hain  to  the  spot 
ire  the  lake  glit- 
banks  of  yellow 
of  aspen  groves 
gloomy  pines, 
'reuss,  "  in  this 
seen  such  mag- 
was  so  much 
the  place,  that  I 
lain  camp  here, 
nd  good  pastur- 
lins  with  a  smalt 
a  little  further, 
ie  outlet  of  the 
hrough  a  narrow 
I.     Dark  pines, 
,  and  masses  of 
jd  along,  gave  it 
here  we  crossed. 
e  outlet,  it  is  two 
and  so  deep  that 
to  ford  it.    Its 
■  rocks,  boulders, 
igular  frp.gments, 
ill  repeatedly, 
ifl,  and  the  water 
ty.    In  crossing 
jreat  misfortune 
ken.    It  was  the 
'  the  interest  ol 
tie  exploration  of 
i  so  much  had 
1  and  contradict 
peaks  rose  ma- 
le  only  means  of 
to  science,  th( 


1842.J 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


41 


object  of  my  anxious  solicitude  by  night  and 
day,  was  destroyed.  We  had  brought  this 
barometer  in  safety  a  thousand  miles,  and 
broke  it  almost  among  the  snow  of  the 
mountains.  The  loss  was  felt  by  the  whole 
camp — all  had  seen  niy  anxiety,  and  aided 
me  in  preserving  it.  The  height  of  these 
mountains,  considered  by  the  nunters  and 
traders  the  highest  in  the  whole  range,  had 
been  a  theme  of  constant  discussion  among 
them ;  and  all  had  looked  forward  with  plea- 
sure to  the  moment  when  the  instrument, 
which  they  believed  to  be  true  as  the  sun, 
should  stand  upon  the  summits,  and  decide 
their  disputes.  Their  grief  was  only  inferior 
to  my  own. 

The  lake  is  about  three  miles  long,  and  of 
very  irregular  width,  and  apparently  great 
depth,  and  is  the  head  water  of  the  third  New 
Fork,  a  tributary  to  Green  river,  the  Colo- 
'iido  of  the  west.  In  the  narrative,  I  have 
•iilled  it  Mountain  lake.     I  encamped  on  the 

lorth  side,  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
•  ards  from  the  outlet.  This  was  the  most 
Acstern  point  at  which  I  obtained  astro- 
lomieal  observations,  by  which  this  place, 

III  led  Bernier's  encampment,  is  made  in 
MO'' 08' 03"  west  longitude  from  Greenwich, 
And  latitude  43°  49'  49".  The  mountain 
|!caks,  as  laid  down,  were  fixed  by  bearings 
troni  this  and  other  astronomical  points.  VVe 
had  no  other  compass  than  the  small  ones 
used  in  sketching  the  country ;  but  from  an 
azimuth,  in  which  one  of  them  was  used,  the 
variation  of  the  compass  is  18"  east.  The 
correction  made  in  our  field  work  by  the  as- 
tronomical observations  indicates  that  this 
is  a  very  correct  observation. 

As  soon  as  the  camp  was  formed,  I  set 
alx)ut  endeavoring  to  repair  my  barometer. 
As  I  have  already  said,  this  was  a  standard 
cistern  barometer,  of  Troughton's  con- 
struction. The  glass  cistern  had  been 
broken  about  midway ;  but  as  the  instrument 
had  been  kept  in  a  proper  position,  no  air  had 
found  its  way  into  the  tube,  the  end  of  which 
had  always  remained  covered.  I  had  with 
ine  a  number  of  vials  oftolerably  thick  glass, 
some  of  which  were  of  the  same  diameter 
aH  the  cistern,  and  I  spent  the  day  in  slowly 
working  on  these,  endeavoring  to  cut  them 
of  the  requisite  length ;  but,  as  my  instru- 
ment vas  a  very  rough  file,  I  invariably 
broke  them.  A  groove  was  cut  in  one  of  the 
trees,  where  the  barometer  was  placed  du- 
ring the  night,  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  any 
possible  danger,  and  in  the  morning  I  com- 
menced again.  Among  the  powder  horns 
in  the  camp,  I  found  one  which  was  very 
transparent,  so  that  its  contents  could  be 
almost  as  plainly  seen  as  through  glass. 
This  I  boiled  and  stretched  on  a  piece  of 
wood  to  tlie  requisite  diameter  and  scraped 


it  very  thin,  in  order  'o  increase  to  the  ut- 
most its  transparent ,.  I  then  secured  it 
firmly  in  its  place  on  the  instrument,  with 
strong  glue  made  from  a  bufl&lo,  and  filled  it 
with  mercury,  properly  heated.  A  piece  of 
skin,  which  had  covered  one  of  the  vials, 
furnished  a  good  pocket,  which  was  well  se- 
cured with  strong  thread  and  glue,  and  then 
the  brass  cover  was  screwed  to  its  place. 
The  instrument  was  left  some  time  to  dry  ; 
and  when  I  reversed  it,  a  few  hours  after,  I 
had  the  satisfaction  to  find  it  in  perfect  order; 
its  indications  being  about  the  same  as  on 
the  other  side  of  the  lake  before  it  had  been 
broken.  Our  success  in  this  little  incident 
diffused  pleasure  throughout  the  camp  ;  and 
we  immediately  set  about  our  preparations 
for  ascending  the  mountains. 

As  will  be  seen  on  reference  to  a  map,  on 
this  short  mountain  chain  are  the  head  waters 
of  four  great  rivers  of  the  continent;  namely, 
the  Colorado,  Columbia,  Missouri,  and  Platte 
rivers.  It  had  been  my  design,  after  having 
ascended  the  mountains,  to  continue  our  route 
on  the  western  side  of  the  range,  and  cross- 
ing through  a  pass  at  the  northwestern  end 
of  the  chain,  about  thirty  miles  from  our 
present  camp,  return  along  the  eastern  slope, 
across  the  heads  of  the  Yellowstone  river, 
and  join  on  the  line  to  our  station  of  August 
7,  immediately  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge.  In 
this  way,  I  should  be  enabled  to  include  the 
whole  chain,  and  its  numerous  waters,  in  my 
survey;  but  various  considerations  induced 
me,  very  reluctantly,  to  abandon  this  plan. 

I  was  desirous  to  keep  strictly  within  the 
scope  of  my  ins;:ructions ;  and  it  would  have 
required  ten  or  fifteen  additional  days  for  the 
accomplishment  of  this  object ;  our  animals 
had  become  very  much  worn  out  with  the 
length  of  the  journey ;  game  was  very  scare* ; 
and,  though  it  does  not  appear  in  the  course 
of  the  narrative  (as  I  have  avoided  dwelling 
upon  trifling  incidents  not  connected  with  the 
objects  of  tlie  expedition),  the  spirita  of  the 
men  had  been  much  exhausted  by  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  to  which  they  had  been 
subjected.  Our  provisions  had  wellnigh  all 
disappeared.  Bread  had  been  long  out  of  the 
question ;  and  of  all  our  stock,  we  had  re- 
maining two  or  three  pounds  of  coffee,  and  a 
small  quantity  of  maccaroni,  which  had  been 
husbanded  with  great  care  for  the  mountain 
expedition  we  were  about  to  undertake.  Our 
daily  meal  consisted  of  dry  bufialo  meat, 
cooked  in  tallow ;  and,  as  we  had  not  dried 
this  with  Indian  skill,  part  of  it  was  spoiled  ; 
and  what  remained  of  good,  was  as  hard  as 
wood,  having  much  the  taste  and  appearance 
of  so  many  pieces  of  bark.  Even  of  this, 
our  stock  was  rapidly  diminishing  in  a  camp 
which  was  capableof  consumMtgtwo  buffaloes 
in  every  twenty-four  hours.    Those  animali 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1842 


!   f 


ii 


had  entirely  disappeared ;  and  it  was  iio'.  pro- 
bable that  we  should  fall  in  with  them  ugain 
until  we  returned  to  the  Sweet  Water. 

Our  arrangements  for  the  ascent  were 
rapidly  completed.  We  were  in  a  hostile 
country,  which  rendered  the  greatest  vigi- 
lance and  circumspection  necessary.  Tlie 
pass  at  the  north  end  of  the  mountain  was 
generally  infested  by  Blackfect ;  and  imme- 
diately opposite  was  one  of  their  forts,  on  the 
edge  of  a  little  thicket,  two  or  three  hundred 
feet  from  our  encampment.  We  were  posted 
in  a  grove  of  beech,  on  the  margin  of  the 
lake,  and  a  few  hundred  feel  long,  with  a  nar- 
row prairillon  on  the  inner  side,  bordered  by 
the  rocky  ridge.  In  the  upper  end  of  this 
grove  we  cleared  a  circular  space  about  forty 
feet  in  diameter,  and,  with  the  felled  timber 
and  interwoven  branches,  eurrounded  it  with 
a  breastwork  five  feet  in  height.  A  gap  was 
left  for  a  gate  on  the  inner  side,  by  wnich  the 
animals  were  to  be  driven  in  and  secured, 
while  the  men  slept  around  the  little  work. 
It  was  half  hidden  by  the  foliage ;  and,  gar- 
risoned by  twelve  resolute  men,  would  have 
set  at  defiance  any  band  of  savages  which 
might  chance  to  discover  ihem  in  tiie  inter- 
val of  our  absence.  Fifteen  of  the  best 
mules,  with  fourteen  men,  were  selected  for 
the  mountain  party.  Our  provisions  consist- 
ed of  dried  meat  for  two  days,  with  our  little 
4tock  of  coffee  and  some  maccaroni.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  barometer  and  a  thermometer,  I 
.ook  with  me  a  sextant  and  bpy-glass,  and 
we  had  of  course  our  compasses.  In  charge 
of  the  camp  I  left  Bernier,  one  of  my  most 
trustworthy  men,  who  possessed  the  most 
determined  courage. 

August  12. — Early  in  the  morning  we  left 
the  camp,  fifteen  in  number,  well  armed,  of 
conrse,  and  mounted  on  our  best  mules.  A 
pack  animal  carried  our  provisions,  with  a 
coffee  pot  and  kettle,  and  three  or  four  tin 
cups.  Everv  man  had  a  blanket  strapped 
over  his  saddle,  to  serve  for  his  bed,  and  the 
instruments  were  carried  by  turns  on  their 
backs.  We  entered  directly  on  rough  and 
rocky  ground ;  and,  just  after  crossing  the 
ridge,  had  the  good  fortune  to  shoot  an  ante- 
lope. We  heard  the  roar,  and  had  a  glimpse 
of  a  waterfall  as  we  rode  along ;  and,  cross- 
ing in  our  way  two  fine  streams,  tributary  to 
the  Colorado,  in  about  two  hours'  ride  we 
reached  the  top  of  the  first  row  or  range  of 
the  mountains.  Here,  again,  a  view  of  the 
most  romantic  beauty  met  our  eyes.  It 
seemed  as  if.  from  the  vast  expanse  of  unin- 
teresting prairie  we  had  passed  over,  Nature 
had  collected  all  her  beauties  together  in  one 
chosen  place ,  We  were  overlooking  a  deep 
valley,  which  was  entirely  occupied  by  three 
lakes,  and  from  the  brink  the  ?i'.rrounding 
riugvB  rose  precipitously  five  hundred  and  a 
thouBand  feet,  covered  with  the  dark  green  of 


the  balsam  pine,  relieved  on  the  border  of  the 
lake  with  the  light  foliage  of  the  aspen. 
They  all  communicated  with  each  other ;  and 
the  green  of  the  waters,  common  to  mountain 
lakes  of  great  depth,  showed  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  cross  them.  The  surprise 
manifested  by  our  guides  when  these  impas- 
sable obstacles  suddenly  barred  our  progress 
proved  that  they  were  among  the  hidden 
treasures  of  the  place,  unknown  even  to  the 
wandering  trappers  of  the  region.  Descend- 
ing the  hOl,  we  proceeded  to  make  our  way 
along  the  margin  to  the  southern  extremity. 
A  narrow  strip  of  angular  fragments  of  rock 
sometimes  afforded  a  rough  pathway  for  our 
mules,  but  generally  we  rode  along  the  shelv- 
ing side,  occasionally  scrambling  up,  ac  a 
considerable  risk  of  tumbling  back  into  the 
lake. 

The  elope  was  frequently  60o ;  the  pines 
grew  densely  together,  and  the  ground  was 
covered  with  the  branches  and  trunks  of 
trees.  The  air  was  fragrant  with  the  odor 
of  tlic  pines ;  and  I  realized  this  delightful 
morning  the  pleasure  of  breathing  that 
mountain  a>i-  which  makes  a  constant  theme 
of  the  hunter's  pinise,  and  which  now  raiidp 
us  feel  as  if  we  had  all  been  drinking  some  ex- 
hilarating gas.  The  depths  of  this  unex 
plored  forest  were  a  place  to  delight  the  heart 
of  a  botanist.  There  was  a  rich  undergrowtli 
of  plants,  and  numerous  gay-colored  flowers 
in  brilliant  bloom.  We  reached  the  outlet  at 
length,  where  some  freshly  barked  willows 
that  lay  in  the  water  showed  that  beaver  had 
been  recently  at  work.  There  were  some 
small  brown  squirrels  jumping  about  in  the 
pines,  and  a  couple  of  large  mallard  ducks 
swimming  about  in  the  stream. 

The  hills  on  this  southern  end  were  low, 
and  the  lake  looked  like  a  mimic  sea,  as  the 
waves  broke  on  the  sandy  beach  in  the  force 
of  a  strong  breeze.  There  was  a  pretty  open 
spot,  with  fine  grass  for  our  mules ;  and 
we  made  our  noon  halt  on  the  beach,  under 
the  shade  of  some  large  hemlocks.  We  re- 
sumed our  journey  after  a  halt  of  about  an 
hour,  making  our  way  up  the  ridge  on  the 
western  side  of  the  lake.  In  search  of 
smoother  ground,  we  rode  a  little  inland; 
and,  passing  through  groves  of  aspen,  soon 
found  ourselves  again  among  the  pines. 
Emerging  from  these,  we  struck  the  summit 
of  the  ridge  above  the  upper  end  of  the  lake. 

We  had  reached  a  very  elevated  point ; 
and  in  the  valley  below,  and  among  the  hillis, 
were  a  number  of  lakes  at  different  levels ; 
some  two  or  three  hundred  feet  above  oth- 
ers, with  which  i)ey  communicated  by  foam- 
ing torrents.  Even  to  our  grrat  height,  the 
roar  of  the  cataracts  came  up,  and  we  could 
see  them  leaping  down  in  lines  of  snow; 
foam.  From  this  scene  of  busy  waters,  we 
turned  abruptly  into  the  stillness  of  a  iorett, 


[1842 

5  border  of  the 
Df  the  aspen, 
ich  other ;  and 
in  to  ntountain 
lat  it  would  be 
The  surprise 
(1  these  impas- 
1  our  progress 
ig  the  hidden 
vn  even  to  the 
on.  Descend- 
make  our  way 
em  extremity, 
rments  of  rock 
ithway  for  our 
ilongtheslielv- 
>ling  up,  at  a 
bacli  into  the 

)0o;  the  pines 
le  ground  was 
and  Irunks  of 
with  the  odor 
this  delightful 
treathing  that 
jonstant  theme 
licli  no\v  rniiilp 
nking  some  ex- 

of  this  unex 
slight  the  heart 
;h  undergrowth 
colored  flowera 
led  the  outlet  at 
larked  willows 
that  beaver  had 
;re  were  some 
g  about  in  the 
mallard  ducks 
n. 

end  were  low, 
mic  sea,  as  the 
ich  in  the  force 
as  a  pretty  open 
tr  mules;  and 
le  beach,  under 
locks.  We  re- 
Jt  of  about  an 
e  ridge  on  the 

In  search  of 
a,  little  inland; 
of  aspen,  soon 
)ng  the  pines, 
uck  the  summit 
end  of  the  lake, 
elevated  point; 
imong  the  hillii, 
liiferent  levels ; 
feet  above  oth- 
licated  by  foam- 
rrat  height,  the 
|),  and  we  could 
lines  of  snowy 
)usy  waters,  we 
ness  of  a  forett, 


1843.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


43 


where  we  rode  among  the  open  bolls  of  the 
pines,  over  a  lawn  of  verdant  grass,  having 
Ktrikingly  the  air  of  cultivated  grounds. 
This  led  us,  after  a  time,  among  masses  of 
rock  which  had  no  vegetable  earth  but  in 
hollows  and  crevices,  though  still  the  pine 
forest  continued.  Toward  evening,  we 
reached  a  defile,  or  rather  a  hole  in  the 
mountains,  entirely  shut  in  by  dark  pine- 
covered  rocks. 

A  small  stream,  with  a  scarcely  percepti- 
Me  current,  flowed  through  a  level  bottom 
of  perhaps  eighty  yards  width,  where  the 
irrass  was  saturated  with  water.  Into  this 
the  mules  were  turned,  and  were  neither 
hobbled  nor  picketed  during  the  night,  as  the 
fine  pasturage  took  away  all  temptation  to 
stray ;  and  we  made  our  bivouac  in  the 
pines.  The  surrounding  masses  were  all 
of  granite.  While  supper  was  being  pre- 
pared, I  set  out  on  an  excursion  in  the 
neighborhood,  accompanied  by  one  of  my 
men.  We  wandered  about  among  the  crags 
and  ravines  until  dark,  richly  repaid  for  our 
walk  by  a  fine  collection  of  plants,  many  of 
(hem  in  full  bloom.  Ascending  a  peak  to 
lind  the  place  of  our  camp,  we  saw  that  the 
Jittie  defile  in  which  we  lay,  coi;;municated 
with  the  long  green  valley  of  some  stream, 
which,  here  locked  up  in  the  mountains,  far 
iway  to  the  south,  found  its  way  in  a  dense 
forest  to  the  plains. 

Looking  along  its  upward  course,  it  seem- 
ed to  conduct,  by  a  smooth  gradual  slope, 
directly  toward  the  peak,  which,  from  long 
consultation  as  we  approached  the  mountain, 
we  had  decided  to  be  the  highest  of  the 
range.  Pleased  with  the  discovery  of  so  fine 
a  road  for  the  next  day,  we  hastened  down  to 
the  camp  where  we  arrived  just  in  lime  for 
6u  pper.  Our  table  service  was  rather  scant ; 
and  we  held  the  meat  in  our  hands,  and  clean 
rocks  made  good  plates,  on  which  we  spread 
our  maccaroni.  Among  all  the  strange  pla- 
ces on  which  we  had  occasion  to  encamp 
during  our  long  journey,  none  have  left  ho 
vivid  an  impression  on  my  mind  as  the  camp 
of  this  evening.  The  disorder  of  the  masses 
which  surrounded  us ;  the  little  hole  through 
which  we  saw  the  stars  over  head ;  the  dark 
pines  where  we  slept ;  and  the  rocks  lit  up 
with  the  glow  of  our  fires,  made  a  night 
picture  of  very  wild  beauty. 

August  13. — The  morning  was  bright  and 
pleasant,  just  cool  enough  to  make  exercise 
agreeable,  and  we  soon  entered  the  defile  I 
had  seen  the  preceding  day.  It  was  smooth- 
ly carpeted  with  a  sofl  grass,  and  scattered 
over  with  groups  of  flowers,  of  which  yellow 
was  the  predominant  color.  Sometimes  we 
were  forced,  by  an  occasional  difficult  pass, 
to  pi«k  our  way  on  a  narrow  ledge  along  the 
Biile  of  the  defile,  and  the  mules  were  fre- 
ipiently  on  their  knees ;  but  these  obstruc- 


tions were  rare,  and  we  journeyed  on  in  the 
sweet  morning  air,  delighted  at  our  good  for- 
tune in  having  found  such  a  beautiful  cn> 
trance  to  the  mountains.  This  road  contin- 
ued for  about  three  mileK,  when  we  suddenly 
reached  ita  termination  in  one  of  the  grand 
views  which,  at  every  turn,  meet  the  travel- 
ler in  this  magnificent  region.  Here  the  de- 
file up  which  we  had  travelled  opened  out 
into  a  small  lawn,  where,  in  a  little  lake,  the 
stream  had  its  source. 

There  were  some  fine  asters  in  bloom,  but 
all  the  flowering  plants  appeared  to  seek  the 
shelter  of  the  rocks,  and  to  be  of  lower 
growth  than  below,  as  if  they  loved  the 
warmth  of  the  soil,  and  kept  out  of  the  way 
of  the  winds.  Immediately  at  our  feet  a 
precipitous  descent  led  to  a  confusion  of  de- 
files, and  before  us  rose  the  mountains  as 
we  have  represented  them  in  the  annexed 
view.  It  is  not  by  the  splendor  of  far-off 
views,  which  have  lent  such  a  glory  to  the 
Alps,  that  these  impress  the  mind ;  but  by  a 
gigantic  disorder  of  enormous  masses,  arid  a 
savage  sublimity  of  naked  rock,  in  wonder- 
ful contrast  with  innumerable  green  spots 
of  a  rich  floral  beauty,  shut  up  in  their  stern 
recesses.  Their  wildness  seems  well  suited 
to  the  character  of  the  people  who  inhabit 
the  country. 

I  determined  to  leave  our  animals  here, 
and  make  the  rest  of  our  way  on  foot.  The 
peak  appeared  so  near,  that  there  was  no 
doubt  of  our  returning  before  night ;  and  a 
few  men  were  left  in  charge  of  the  mules, 
with  our  provisions  and  blankets,  We  took 
with  us  nothing  but  our  arms  and  instru- 
ments, and,  as  the  day  had  become  warm, 
the  greater  part  left  our  coats.  Having 
made  an  early  dinner,  we  started  again. 
We  were  soon  involved  in  the  most  ragged 
precipices,  nearing  the  central  chain  very 
slowly,  and  rising  but  little.  The  first  ridge 
hid  a  succession  of  others ;  and  when,  with 
great  fatigue  and  difficulty,  we  had  climbed 
up  five  hundred  feet,  it  was  but  to  make  an 
equal  descent  on  the  other  side ;  all  these  in- 
tervening places  were  filled  with  small  deep 
lakes,  which  met  the  eye  in  every  direction, 
descending  from  one  level  to  another,  some- 
times under  bridges  formed  by  huge  frag- 
ments of  granite,  beneath  which  was  heard 
the  rosr  of  the  wafer.  These  constantly  ob- 
structet'  iinr  path,  forcing  us  to  make  long 
ditours;  iVequently  obliged  to  retrace  our 
steps,  and  frequently  falling  among  the  rocks. 
Maxwell  was  precipitated  toward  the  face 
of  a  precipice,  and  saved  himself  from  going 
over  by  throwing  himself  flat  on  the  grouno. 
We  clambered  on,  always  expecting,  witli 
every  ridge  that  we  crossed,  to  reach  the  fool 
of  the  peakc,  and  always  disappointed,  untit 
about  foui  o'clock,  when,  pretty  well  worn 
out,  we  reached  the  shore  off  a  little  lake  ia 


44 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ri841 


which,  was  a  rocky  island.  We  remained 
here  a  short  lime  to  rest,  and  continued  on 
around  the  lake,  which  had  in  some  places 
a  beach  of  white  sand,  and  in  others  was 
bound  with  rocks,  over  which  the  way  was 
difficult  and  dangerous,  as  the  water  from 
innumerable  springs  made  them  very  slip- 
pery. 

By  the  time  we  had  reached  the  further 
side  of  the  lake,  we  found  ourselves  all  ex- 
ceedingly fatigued,  and,  much  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  whole  party,  we  encamped. 
The  spot  we  had  chosen  was  a  broad  flat 
rock,  in  some  measure  protected  from  the 
winds  by  the  surrounding  crags,  and  the 
trunks  of  fallen  pines  aibrded  us  bright 
fires.  Near  by  was  a  foaming  torrent,  which 
tumbled  into  the  little  lake  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  below  us,  and  which,  by 
way  of  distinction,  we  have  called  Island 
lake.  We  had  neached  the  upper  limit  of 
the  piney  region ;  as,  above  this  point,  no 
tree  was  to  be  seen,  and  patches  of  snow  lay 
everywhere  around  us  on  the  cold  sides  of 
the  rocks.  The  flora  of  the  region  we  had 
traversed  since  leaving  our  mules  was  ex- 
tremely rich,  and,  among  the  characteristic 
plants,  the  scarlet  flowers  of  the  dodecatheon 
dentatum  e'lCrywhere  met  the  eye  in  great 
abundance.  A  small  green  ravine,  on  the 
edge  of  which  we  were  encamped,  was  filled 
with  a  profusion  of  alpine  plants  in  brilliant 
bloom.  From  barometrical  observations, 
made  during  our  three  days'  sojourn  at  this 
place,  its  elevation  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
IS  10,000  feet.  During  the  day,  we  had  seen 
no  sign  of  animal  life  ;  but  among  the  rocks 
here,  we  heard  what  was  supposed  to  be  the 
bleat  of  a  young  goat,  which  we  searched 
for  with  hungry  activity,  and  found  to  pro- 
ceed from  a  small  animal  of  a  grey  color, 
with  short  ears  and  no  tail — probably  the 
Siberian  squirrel.  We  saw  a  considerable 
number  of  them,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
a  small  bird  like  a  sparrow,  it  is  the  only 
inhabitant  of  this  elevated  part  of  the  moun- 
tains. On  our  return,  we  saw,  below  this 
lake,  large  flocks  of  the  mountain  goat.  We 
had  nothing  to  eat  to-night.  Lajeunesse, 
with  several  others,  took  their  guns,  and 
•allied  out  in  search  of  a  goat ;  but  returned 
unsuccessful.  At  sunset,  the  barometer 
stood  at  20.522 ;  the  attached  thermometer 
50°.  Here  we  had  the  misfoi-tune  to  break 
our  thermometer,  having  now  only  that  at- 
tached to  the  ba  ometer.  I  was  taken  ill 
shortly  after  we  liad  encamped,  and  continu- 
ed so  until  late  in  the  night,  with  violent 
headache  and  vcmiiing.  This  was  probably 
caused  by  the  excessive  fatigue  I  had  under- 
ffone,  and  want  of  fjod,  and  perhaps,  also, 
in  some  measure,  by  the  rarity  of  the  air. 
The  night  was  cold,  as  a  violent  gale  from 
dM  north  had  sprung  up  at  sunset,  which 


entirely  blew  away  the  heat  of  the  fires. 
The  cold,  and  our  granite  beds,  had  not  been 
favorable  to  sleep,  and  we  were  glad  to  sep 
the  face  of  the  sun  in  the  morning.  Not  bo- 
ing  delayed  by  any  preparation  for  break- 
fast, we  set  out  immediately. 

On  every  side  as  we  advanced  was  heard 
the  roar  of  waters,  and  of  a  torrent,  which 
we  followed  up  a  short  distance,  until  it  ex- 
panded into  a  lake  about  one  mile  in  length. 
On  the  northern  side  of  the  lake  w»5  a  bank 
of  ice,  or  rather  of  snow  covered  with  a 
crust  of  ice.  Carson  had  been  our  guide 
into  the  mountains,  and,  agreeably  to  his 
advice,  we  left  this  little  valley,  and  took  to 
the  ridges  again ;  which  we  found  extremely 
broken,  and  where  we  were  again  involved 
among  precipices.  Here  were  ice  fields ; 
among  which  we  were  all  dispersed,  seekinij 
each  the  best  path  to  ascend  the  peak.  Mr. 
Preuss  attempted  to  walk  along  the  upper 
edge  of  one  of  these  fields,  which  sloped 
away  at  an  angle  of  about  twenty  degrees 
but  his  feet  slipped  from  under  him,  and  he 
went  plunging  down  the  plane.  A  few 
hundred  feet  below,  at  the  bottom,  were 
some  fragments  of  sharp  rock,  on  which  he 
landed ;  and  though  he  turned  a  couple  of 
somersets,  fortunately  received  no  injury  be- 
yond a  few  bruises.  Two  of  the  men,  Cle- 
ment Lambert  and  Descoteaux,  had  been 
taken  ill,  and  lay  down  on  the  rocks  a  short 
distance  below ;  and  at  this  point  I  was  at- 
tacked with  headache  and  giddiness,  accom- 
panied by  vomiting,  as  on  the  day  before. 
Finding  myself  unable  to  proceed,  I  sent  the 
barometer  over  to  Mr.  Preuss,  who  was  in  a 
gap  two  or  three  hundred  yards  distant,  de- 
siring him  to  reach  the  peak,  if  possible,  and 
take  an  observation  there.  He  found  iiim- 
self  unable  to  proceed  further  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  took  an  observation,  where  the  ba- 
rometer stood  at  19.401 ;  attached  thermo- 
meter 60o,  in  the  gap.  Carson,  who  had 
gone  over  to  him,  succeeded  in  reaching  one 
of  the  snowy  summits  of  the  main  ridge, 
whence  he  saw  the  peak  towards  which  all 
our  eflTorts  had  been  directed,  towering  eight 
or  ten  hundred  feet  into  the  air  above  him. 
In  the  meantime,  finding  myself  grow  rather 
worse  than  better,  and  doubtful  how  far  my 
strength  would  carry  me,  I  sent  Basil  La- 
jeunesse,  with  four  men,  back  to  the  place 
where  the  mules  had  been  left. 

We  were  now  better  acquainted  with  the 
topography  of  the  country,  and  I  directed 
him  <o  bnng  back  with  him,  if  it  were  in 
any  way  possible,  four  or  five  mules,  with 
provisions  and  blankets.  With  me  were 
Maxwell  and  Ayer;  and  after  we  had  re- 
mained nearly  an  hour  on  the  rock,  it  be- 
came so  unpleasantly  cold,  though  the  day 
was  bright,  that  we  set  out  on  our  return  to 
the  camp,  at  which  we  all  arrived  safely, 


ri84i 

of  the  fire*. 

had  not  been 
)  glad  to  sep 
ing.  Not  bo- 
rn for  break- 

;d  was  hoarti 
orrent,  which 
e,  until  it  ex- 
lile  in  lengtii. 
e  WIS  a  bank 
vered  with  a 
en  our  guide 
3<>ably  to  his 
and  took  to 
ind  extremely 
gain  involved 
•e  ice  fields; 

rsed,  seekini; 
le  peak.  Mr. 
ng  the  upper 
which  sloped 
enty  degrees 

him,  and  he 
ane.  A  few 
bottom,  were 
,  on  which  he 
1  a  couple  of 

no  injury  be- 
the  men,  Cle- 
ux,  had  been 
!  rocks  a  short 
MJint  I  was  at- 
jiness,  accom- 
18  day  before. 
Bed,  I  sent  the 
who  was  in  a 
'ds  distant,  de- 
f  possible,  and 
[e  found  him- 
r  in  that  direc- 
where  the  ba- 
iched  thermo- 
rson,  who  had 
1  reaching  one 
e  main  ridge, 
irds  which  all 
towering  eight 
air  above  him. 
slf  grow  rather 
ul  how  far  my 
sent  Basil  La- 
ic to  the  place 

inted  with  the 
ind  I  directed 
if  it  were  in 
'e  mules,  with 
i^ith  mc  were 
Br  we  had  re- 
le  rock,  it  be* 
lough  the  day 
1  our  return  to 
urived  safelyi 


1842.] 


CAFl-   HIEMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


U 


itmggling  in  one  after  the  other.  I  con- 
tinued ill  during  the  afternoon,  but  became 
better  towards  sundown,  when  my  recovery 
was  completed  by  the  appearance  of  Basil 
and  four  men,  all  mounted.  The  men  who 
had  gone  with  him  had  been  too  much  fa- 
tigued to  return,  and  were  relieved  by  those 
in  charge  of  the  horses ;  jut  in  his  powers 
of  endurance  Basil  resembled  more  a  moun- 
tain goat  than  a  man.  They  brought  blan- 
kets and  provisions,  and  we  enjoyed  well  our 
dried  meat  and  a  cup  of  good  coflfee.  We 
rolled  ourselves  up  in  our  blankets,  and, 
with  our  feet  turned  to  a  blazing  tire,  slept 
soundly  until  morning. 

Au<rust  15. — It  had  been  supposed  that  we 
had  finished  with  the  mountams;  and  the 
evening  before,  it  had  been  arranged  that 
Carson  should  set  out  at  daylight,  and  re- 
turn to  breakfast  at  the  Camp  of  the  Mules, 
taking  with  him  all  but  four  or  five  men, 
who  were  to  stay  with  me  and  bring  back 
the  mules  and  instruments.  Accordingly, 
at  the  break  of  day  they  set  out.  With  Mr. 
Preuss  and  myself  remained  Basil  I^ajeu- 
iiesse,  Clement  Lambert,  Janisse,  and  Desco- 
teaux.  Wlien  we  had  secured  strength  for 
tlic  day  by  a  hearty  breakfast,  we  covered 
what  remained,  which  was  enough  for  one 
meal,  with  rocks,  in  order  that  il  might  be 
safe  from  any  marauding  bird ;  and,  saddling 
our  mules,  turned  our  faces  once  more  to- 
wards the  peaks.  This  time  we  determined 
to  proceed  quietly  and  cautiously,  deliber- 
ately resolved  to  accomplish  our  object  if  it 
were  within  the  compass  of  human  means. 
We  were  of  opinion  that  a  long  defile  which 
lay  to  the  left  of  yesterday's  route  would 
lead  us  to  the  foot  of  the  main  peak.  Our 
mules  had  been  refreshed  by  the  fine  grass 
in  the  little  ravine  at  the  Island  camp,  and 
we  intended  to  ride  up  the  defile  as  far  as 
possible,  in  order  to  husband  our  strength 
for  the  main  ascent.  Though  this  was  a 
fine  passage,  still  it  was  a  defile  of  the  most 
rugged  mountains  known,  and  we  had  many 
a  rough  and  steep  slippery  place  to  cross 
before  reaching  the  end.  In  this  place  the 
sun  rarely  shone ;  snow  lay  along  the  border 
of  the  small  stream  which  flowed  through  it, 
and  occasional  icy  passages  made  the  foot- 
ing of  the  mules  very  insecure,  and  the 
rocks  and  ground  were  moist  with  the  trick- 
ling waters  in  this  spring  of  mighty  rivers. 
We  soon  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  our- 
selves riding  along  the  huge  wall  which 
forms  the  central  summits  of  the  chain. 
There  at  last  it  rose  by  our  sides,  a  nearly 
perpendicular  wall  of  granite,  terminating 
2,000  to  3,000  feet  above  our  heads  in  a  ser- 
rated line  of  broken,  jagged  cones.  We 
rode  on  until  we  came  almost  immediately 
below  the  main  peak,  which  I  denominated 
the  Snow  peak,  as  it  exhibited  more  snow 


to  the  eye  than  any  of  the  neighboring  sum- 
mits. Here  were  three  small  lakes  of  a 
green  color,  each  of  perhaps  a  thousand 
yards  in  diameter,  and  apparently  very  deep. 
These  lay  in  a  kind  of  chasm ;  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  baxometei ,  we  had  attained  but  a 
few  hundred  feet  above  the  Island  lake.  The 
barometer  here  stood  at  20.450,  attached 
thermometer  70°. 

We  managed  to  get  our  mules  up  to  a 
little  bench  about  a  hundred  feet  above  the 
lakes,  where  there  was  a  patch  of  good 
grass,  and  turned  them  loose  to  graac.  Du- 
ring our  rough  ride  to  this  place,  they  had 
exhibited  a  wonderful  surefootediiess.  Parts 
of  the  defile  were  filled  with  angular,  sharp 
fragments  of  roc!.,  three  or  four  and  eight  or 
ten  feet  cube ;  and  among  these  they  had 
worked  their  way,  leaping  from  one  narrow 
point  to  another,  rarely  making  a  false  step, 
and  giving  us  no  occasion  to  dismount. 
Having  divested  ourselves  of  every  unneces- 
sary encumbrance,  we  commenced  the  as- 
cent. This  time,  like  experienced  travellers, 
we  did  not  press  ourselves,  but  climbed 
leisurely,  sitting  down  so  soon  as  we  found 
breath  beginning  to  fail.  At  intervals  we 
reau.  d  places  where  a  number  of  springs 
gushed  from  the  rocks,  and  about  1,800  feet 
above  the  lakes  came  to  the  snow  line. 
From  this  point  our  pro<'ress  was  uninter- 
rupted climbing.  Hitherto  I  had  worn  a 
pair  of  thick  moccasins,  with  soles  of  par- 
JlSrhe ;  but  here  I  put  on  a  light  thin  pair, 
which  I  had  brought  for  the  purpose,  as  now 
the  use  of  our  toes  became  necessary  to  a 
further  advance.  I  availed  myself  of  a  sort 
of  comb  of  the  mountain,  which  stood  against 
the  wall  like  a  buttress,  and  which  the  wind 
and  the  solar  radiation,  joined  to  the  steep- 
ness of  the  smooth  rock,  had  kept  almost  en- 
tirely free  from  snow.  Up  this  I  made  my 
way  rapidly.  Our  cautious  method  of  aa- 
vancing  in  the  outset  had  spared  my  strength  ; 
and,  with  the  exception  of  a  slight  disposi- 
tion to  headache,  I  felt  no  remains  of  yester- 
day's illness.  In  a  few  minutes  we  reached 
a  point  where  the  buttress  was  overhanging, 
and  there  was  no  other  way  of  surmounting 
the  difficulty  tliai»  by  passing  around  one 
side  of  it,  which  was  the  face  of  a  vertical 
precipice  of  several  hundred  feet. 

Putting  hands  and  feet  in  the  crevices  be- 
tween the  blocks,  I  succeeded  in  getting 
over  it,  and,  when  I  reached  the  top,  found 
my  companions  in  a  sn-  '..  valley  below. 
Descending  to  them,  we  continued  climbiog, 
and  in  a  short  time  reached  the  crest.  I 
sprang  upon  the  summit,  and  another  step 
would  have  precipitated  me  into  an  immense 
snow  field  five  hundred  feet  below.  To  the 
edge  of  this  field  was  a  sheer  icy  precipice ; 
and  then,  with  a  gradual  fall,  the  field  sloped 
off  for  about  a  mile,  until  it  struck  the  foot 


III! 

<    tl 


ri 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841 


of  another  lower  ridge.  I  stood  on  a  narrow 
crest,  about  three  feet  in  width,  with  an  in- 
clination of  about  30°  N.  61°  E.  As  soon 
as  I  had  gratified  the  first  feelingrg  of  curi- 
osity, I  (KBcended,  and  each  man  ascended 
in  his  turn ;  for  I  would  only  allow  one  at  a 
time  to  mount  the  unstable  and  precarious 
slab,  which  it  seemed  a  breath  would  hurl 
into  the  abyss  below.  We  mounted  the  ba- 
rometer in  the  snow  of  the  summit,  and,  fix- 
ing a  ramrod  in  a  crevice,  unfurled  the  na- 
tional flag  to  wave  ;nthe  breeze  where  never 
flag  wafed  before.  During  our  morning's 
ascent,  we  had  met  no  sign  o'  animal  life, 
except  the  small  sparrow-like  bird  already 
mentioned.  A  stillness  the  most  profound 
and  a  terrible  solitude  forced  themselves  con- 
stantly on  the  mind  as  the  great  features  of 
the  place.  Here,  on  the  summit,  where  the 
stillness  was  absolute,  unbroken  by  any 
sound,  and  the  solitude  complete,  we  thought 
ourselves  beyond  the  region  of  animated  life ; 
but  while  we  were  sitting  ont  he  rock,  a  soli- 
tary bee  (bromus,  the  humble  bee)  came 
winging  his  flight  from  the  eastern  valley, 
and  lit  on  the  knee  of  one  of  the  men. 

It  was  a  strange  place,  the  icy  rock  and 
the  highest  peak  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
for  a  lover  of  warm  sunshine  and  flowers ; 
and  we  pleased  ourselves  with  the  idea  that 
he  was  the  first  of  his  species  to  cross  the 
mountain  barrier — a  solitary  pioneer  to  fore- 
tell the  advance  of  civilisation.  I  believe 
that  a  moment's  thought  would  have  made 
us  let  him  continue  his  way  unharmed  ;  but 
we  carried  out  the  law  of  this  country,  where 
all  animated  nature  seems  at  war ;  and,  seiz- 
ing him  immediately,  put  him  in  at  least  a 
fit  place — in  the  leaves  of  a  large  book, 
among  the  flowers  we  had  collected  on  our 
way.  "  The  barometer  stood  at  18.293,  the 
attached  thermometer  at  44° ;  giving  for  the 
elevation  of  this  summit  13,570  feet  above 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which  may  be  called  the 
highest  flight  of  the  bee.  It  is  certainly  the 
highest  known  flight  of  that  insect.  From 
the  description  given  by  Mackenzie  of  the 
mountains  where  he  crossed  them,  with  that 
of  a  French  oflicer  still  farther  to  the  north, 
and  Colonel  Long's  measurements  to  the 
south,  joined  to  the  opinion  of  the  oldest  tra- 
ders of  the  country,  it  is  presumed  that  this 
is  the  highest  peak  of  the  Rocky  mountains. 
The  day  was  sunny  and  bright,  but  a  slight 
shining  mist  hung  over  the  lower  plains, 
which  interfiered  with  our  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  On  one  side  we  over- 
looked innumerable  lakes  and  streams,  tlie 
upring  of  the  Colorado  of  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia ;  and  on  the  other  was  the  Wind  river 
valley,  where  were  the  heads  of  the  Yellow- 
stone branch  of  the  Missouri;  far  to  the 
north,  we  just  could  discover  the  s^owy 
atBtuda  of  the  Trois  Tetons,  where  were  the 


sources  of  the  Missouri  and  Columbia  rivers; 
and  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  ridge, 
the  peaks  were  plainly  visible,  among  which 
were  some  of  the  .springs  of  the  Nebraska  or 
Platte  river.  Around  us,  the  whole  seen* 
had  one  main  striking  feature,  which  was 
that  of  terrible  convulsion.  Parallel  to  its 
length,  the  ridge  was  split  into  chasms  and 
fissures  ;  between  v/hicn  rose  the  thin  lofty 
walls,  terminated  with  slender  nginarets  and 
columns.  According  to  the  barometer,  the 
little  crest  of  the  wall  on  which  we  stood 
was  three  thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy 
feet  above  that  place,  and  two  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eighty  above  the  little 
lakes  at  the  bottom,  immediately  at  our  feet. 
Our  camp  at  the  Two  Hills  (an  astronomical 
station)  bore  south  3"  east,  which,  with  a 
bearing  afterward  obtained  from  a  fixed  po- 
sition, enabled  us  to  locate  the  peak.  The 
bearing  of  the  Drois  Tetons  was  north  60« 
west,  and  the  direction  of  the  central  ridge 
of  the  Wind  river  mountains  south  39°  east. 
The  summit  rock  was  gneis.s,  succeeded  by 
sienitic  gneiss.  Sienite  and  feldspar  suc- 
ceeded in  our  descent  to  the  snow  line, 
where  we  found  a  feldspathic  granite.  I 
had  remarked  that  the  noise  produced  by  the 
explosion  of  our  pistols  had  the  usual  degree 
of  loudness,  but  was  not  in  the  least  pro- 
longed, expiring  almost  instantaneously. 
Having  now  made  what  observations  our 
means  aflbrded,  we  proceeded  to  descend. 
We  had  accomplished  an  object  of  laudable 
ambition,  and  beyond  the  strict  order  of  our 
instructions.  We  had  climbed  the  loftiest 
peak  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  looked 
down  upon  the  snow  a  thousand  feet  below, 
and,  standing  where  never  human  foot  had 
stood  before,  felt  the  exultation  of  first  e.\- 
plorers.  It  was  about  2  o'clock  when  we 
left,  the  summit ;  and  when  we  reached  the 
bottom,  the  sun  had  already  sunk  behind  the 
wall,  and  the  day  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
It  would  have  been  pleasant  to  have  lingered 
here  and  on  the  summit  longer ;  but  we  hur- 
ried away  as  rapidly  as  the  ground  would 
permit,  for  it  was  an  object  to  regain  our 
party  as  soon  as  possible,  not  knowing  what 
accident  the  next  hour  might  bring  forth. 

We  reached  our  deposit  of  provisions  at 
nightfall.  Here  was  not  the  inn  which 
awaits  the  tired  traveller  on  his  return  from 
Mont  Blanc,  or  the  orange  groves  of  South 
America,  with  their  refreshing  juices  and  sofi 
fragrant  air ;  but  we  found  our  little  cache  ot 
dried  meat  and  coflee  undisturbed.  Though 
the  moon  was  bright,  the  road  was  fu'l  of 
precipices,  and  the  fatigue  of  the  day  had 
been  great.  We  therefore  abandoned  the 
idea  of  rejoining  our  friends,  and  lay  down  on 
the  rock,  and,  in  spite  of  the  cold,  slept 
soundly. 

August  16. — We   left  our  encampment 


[184S 

umbia  riven; 

of  the  ridge, 

among  which 

Nebraska  or 

wliole  Bcene 

which  wag 

'arallel  to  ita 

>  chasms  and 

the  thin  lofty 

minarets  and 

irometer,  the 

ich  we  stood 

d  and  seventy 

wo  thousand 

ove  the  little 

ly  at  our  feet. 

astronomical 

hich,  with  a 

m  a  fixed  po- 

3  peak.     The 

vas  north  60* 

central  ridge 

outh  39"  east. 

succeeded  by 

feldspar  suc- 

le  snow  line, 

c  granite.    I 

oduced  by  the 

i  usual  degree 

the  least  pro< 

ituntaneously. 

ervations  our 

i  to  descend. 

;t  of  laudable 

t  order  of  our 

ii  the  loftiest 

i,  and  looked 

nd  feet  below, 

iman  foot  had 

)n  of  first  e.\- 

jck  when  we 

e  reached  the 

nk  behind  the 

ig  to  a  close. 

have  lingered 

;  but  we  hur- 

jround  would 

to  regain  our 

mowing  what 

/ring  forth. 

provisions  at 

e   inn   which 

8  return  from 

)ve9  of  South 

juices  and  soft 

little  cache  of 

led.     Though 

,d  was  fu'l  of 

the  day  had 

bandoned  the 

d  lay  down  on 

le  cold,  slept 

encampment 


1842.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


41 


irith  the  daylight.  We  saw  on  our  way 
large  flocks  of  the  mountain  goat  looking 
down  on  us  from  the  cliifii.  At  the  cratk  of 
a  rifle,  they  would  bound  off  among  the  rocks, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  make  their  appearance 
on  some  lofty  peak,  some  hundrel  or  a  thou- 
land  feet  above.  It  is  needless  to  attempt 
any  further  description  of  the  country ;  the 
portion  over  which  we  travelled  'his  morning 
was  rough  as  imagination  could  picture  it, 
and  to  us  seemed  equally  beautiful.  A  con- 
coiirse  of  lakes  and  rushing  waters,  moun- 
tains of  rocks  naked  and  destitute  of  vegeta- 
ble earth,  dolls  and  ravines  of  the  most 
exquisite  beauty,  all  kept  green  and  fresh  by 
the  great  moisture  in  the  air,  and  sown  with 
brilliant  flowers,  and  everywhere  thrown 
around  all  the  glory  of  most  magnificent 
scenes :  these  constitute  the  features  of  the 
place,  and  impress  themselves  vividly  on  the 
mind  of  the  traveller.  It  was  not  until  1 1 
o'clock  that  we  reached  the  place  where  our 
iinimals  had  been  left,  when  we  first  attemnt- 
cd  the  mountains  on  foot.  Ne  .  one  of  f'le 
still  burning  fires  we  found  a  ,  ice  of  meat, 
which  our  friends  had  thrown  away,  and 
which  furnished  us  a  mouthful — a  very 
scanty  breakfast.  We  continued  directly 
on,  and  reached  our  camp  oji  the  mountain 
lake  at  dusk.  We  found  all  well.  Nothing 
had  occurred  to  interrupt  the  quiet  since  our 
departure,  und  the  fine  grass  and  good  cool 
water  had  done  much  to  re-eatablish  our  ani- 
mals. All  heard  with  great  delight  the  order 
to  turn  our  faces  homeward ;  and  toward 
sundown  of  the  17th,  we  encamped  again  at 
the  Two  Buttes. 

In  the  course  of  this  afternoon's  march, 
the  barometer  was  broken  past  remedy.  I 
regretted  it,  as  I  was  desirous  to  compare  it 
again  with  Dr.  Engleman's  barometers  at  St. 
Louis,  to  which  mine  were  referred  ;  but  it 
had  done  its  part  well,  and  my  objects  were 
mainly  fulfilled. 

Atigusl  19. — We  left  our  camp  on  Little 
Sandy  river  about?  in  the  morning,  and  tra- 
versed the  same  sandy,  undulating  country. 
The  air  was  filled  with  the  turpentine  scent 
of  the  various  artemisias,  which  are  now  in 
bloom,  and,  numerous  as  they  are,  give  much 
gaiety  to  the  landscape  of  the  plains.  At 
10  o'clock,  we  stood  exactly  on  the  divide  in 
the  pass,  where  the  wagon  road  crosses,  and, 
descending  immediately  upon  the  Sweet 
Water,  halted  to  take  a  meridian  observation 
of  the  sun.     The  latitude  was  42°  24'  32". 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  we  saw  buf- 
falo again  and  at  our  evening  halt  on  the 
Sweet  Water  the  roasted  ribs  again  made 
their  appearance  around  the  fires  ;  and,  with 
them,  good  humor,  and  laughter,  and  song, 
were  restored  to  the  camp.  Our  coflee  had 
been  expended,  but  we  now  made  a  kind  of 
tea  from  the  roots  of  the  wild  cherry  tree. 


August  23. — Yesterday  evening  we  roach* 
ed  our  encampment  at  Rock  Independence, 
where  I  took  some  astronomical  observations. 
Here,  not  unmindful  of  the  custom  of  early 
travellers  and  explorers  in  our  country,  I  en- 
graved on  this  rock  of  the  Far  West  a  sym- 
bol of  the  Christian  faith.  Among  the  thickly 
inscribed  names,  I  made  on  the  fiard  granite 
the  impression  of  a  large  cross,  whirli  I  co- 
vered with  a  black  prepa"  n  of  India  rubber, 
well  calculated  to  resist  the  influence  of  wind 
and  rain.  It  stands  amidst  the  names  of 
many  who  have  long  since  found  their  way 
to  the  grave,  and  for  whom  the  huge  rock  la 
a  giant  gravestone. 

One  George  Weymouth  was  sent  out  to 
Maine  by  the  Earl  of  Southampton,  Lord 
Arundel,  and  others ;  and  in  the  narrative  of 
their  discoveries,  he  says :  "  The  next  day, 
we  ascended  in  our  pinnace  that  part  of  the 
river  which  lies  more  to  the  westward,  carry- 
ing with  us  a  cross — a  thing  never  omitted  by 
any  Christian  traveller — which  we  erected 
at  the  ultimate  end  of  our  route."  This  was 
in  the  year  1605;  and  in  1842  I  obeyed  the 
feeling  of  early  travellers,  and  left  the  im- 
pression of  the  cross  deeply  engraved  on  the 
vast  rock  one  thousand  miles  beyond  the 
Mississippi,  to  which  discoverers  have  given 
the  national  name  uf  Rock  Independence. 

In  obedience  to  my  instructions  to  survey 
the  river  Platte,  if  possible,  I  had  determined 
to  maKe  an  attempt  at  this  place.  The  India 
rubber  boat  was  filled  with  air,  placed  in  the 
water,  and  loaded  with  what  was  necessary 
for  our  operations  ;  and  I  embarked  with  Mr. 
Preuss  and  a  party  of  men.  When  we  had 
dragged  our  boat  for  a  mile  or  two  over  the 
sands,  I  abandoned  the  impossible  undertak- 
ing, and  waited  for  the  arrival  of  the  party, 
when  we  packed  up  our  boat  and  equipage 
and  at  9  o'clock  were  again  moving  along 
on  our  land  journey.  We  continued  along 
the  valley  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Sweet 
Water,  where  the  formation,  as  already  de- 
scribed, consists  of  a  greyish  micaceous  sand- 
stone, and  fine-grained  conglomerate,  and 
marl.  We  passed  over  a  ridgo  which  bor- 
ders or  constitutes  the  river  hills  of  the 
Platte,  consisting  of  huge  blocks,  sixty  or 
eighty  feet  cube,  of  decomposing  granite. 
The  cement  which  united  them  was  proba- 
bly of  easier  decomposition,  and  has  disap- 
peared and  left  them  isolate,  and  separated 
by  small  spaces.  Numerous  horns  of  the 
mountain  goat  were  lying  among  the  rocks ; 
and  in  the  ravines  were  cedars,  whose  trunks 
were  of  extraordinary  size.  From  this  ndge 
we  descended  to  a  small  open  plain  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Sweet  Water,  which  rushed 
with  a  rapid  current  into  the  Platte,  herr 
flowing  along  in  a  broad,  and  apparently 
deep  stream,  which  seemed,  from  its  turbid 
appearance,  to  be  considerably  swollen.    I 


'  i 


48 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1849 


'  1 


obtaiaed  hero  Bome  astronomical  observations, 
and  the  afternoon  was  spent  in  getting  our 
boat  ready  for  navi^tion  the  next  day. 

Aue7ist  34. — We  started  before  sunrise, 
intending  to  breakfast  at  Goat  Island.  I  had 
directed  the  land  party,  in  charge  of  Bemier, 
to  proceed  to  this  place,  where  they  were  to 
remain,  should  they  find  no  note  to  apprise 
them  of  our  having  passed.  In  the  event  of 
receiving  this  information,  they  were  to  con- 
tinue their  route,  passing  by  certain  places 
which  had  been  designated.  Mr.  Preuss  ac- 
companied me,  and  with  us  were  five  of  my 
best  men,  viz  ;  C.  Lambert,  Basil  Lajeunesse, 
Honor*  Ayot,  Benoist,  and  Descoteaux. 
Here  appeared  no  scarcity  of  water,  and  we 
took  on  board,  with  various  instruments  and 
bagrgage,  provisions  for  ten  or  twelve  days. 
We  paddled  down  the  river  rapidly,  for  our 
little  craft  was  light  as  a  duck  on  the  water ; 
and  the  nun  had  been  some  time  risen,  when 
we  heard  before  us  a  hollow  roar,  which  we 
supposed  to  be  that  of  a  fall,  of  which  we 
had  heard  a  vague  rumor,  but  whose  exact 
locality  no  one  bad  been  able  to  describe  to 
us.  We  were  approaching  a  ridge,  through 
which  the  river  passes  by  a  place  called 
"caiion"  (pronounced  kanyon),  a  Spanish 
word,  signifying  a  piece  of  artillery,  the  bar- 
rel of  a  gun,  or  any  kind  of  tube ;  and  which, 
in  this  country,  has  been  adopted  to  describe 
the  passage  of  a  river  between  perpendicular 
rocks  of  great  height,  which  frequently  ap- 
proach each  other  so  closely  overhead  as  to 
form  a  kind  of  tunnel  over  the  stream,  which 
•"oams  along  below,  half  choked  up  by  fallen 
fragments.  Between  the  mouth  of  the 
Sweet  Water  and  Goat  island,  there  is  pro- 
bably a  fall  of  300  feet,  and  that  was  princi- 
pally made  in  the  canons  before  us ;  as,  witli- 
out  tiiem,  the  water  was  comparatively 
smooth.  As  we  neared  the  ridge,  the  river 
made  a  sudden  turn,  and  swept  squarely  down 
against  one  of  the  walls  of  the  canon  with 
a  great  velocity,  and  so  steep  a  descent,  that 
it  had,  to  the  eye,  the  appearance  of  an  in- 
clined plane.  When  we  launched  into  this, 
the  men  jumped  overboard,  to  check  the  ve- 
locity of  the  boat,  but  were  soon  in  water  up 
to  their  necks,  and  our  boat  ran  on ;  but  we 
succeeded  in  bringing  her  to  a  small  point  of 
rocks  on  the  right,  at  the  mouth  of  the  canon. 
Here  was  a  kind  of  elevated  sand  beach,  not 
many  yards  square,  backed  by  the  rocks,  and 
aroundi  the  point  the  river  swept  at  a  right 
angle.  Trunks  of  trees  deposited  on  jutting 
points  20  or  30  feet  above,  and  other  marks, 
showed  that  the  water  here  frequently  rose 
to  a  considerable  height.  The  ridge  was  of 
the  same  decomposing  granite  already  men- 
tioned, and  the  water  had  woi'ked  the  surface, 
in  many  places,  into  a  wavy  surface  of  ridges 
and  holes.    We  ascended  the  rocks  to  recon- 


noitre the  ground,  and  from  the  ■ummit  the 

i>a8sage  appeared  to  be  a  continued  cataract 
banking  over  many  obstructions,  and  broken 
by  a  number  of  small  falls.  We  saw  no> 
where  a  fall  answering  to  that  which  had 
been  described  to  us  as  having  20  or  26  feet 
but  still  concluded  this  to  bo  the  place  io 
question,  as,  in  the  season  of  floods,  the  ruth 
of  the  river  against  the  wall  would  produce 
a  great  rise,  and  the  waters,  reflected  squarely 
o^,  would  descend  through  the  passage  in  a 
sheet  of  foam,  having  every  appearance  of  a 
large  fall.  Eighteen  yea  -s  previous  to  thia 
time,  as  I  have  subsequently  learned  from 
himself,  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  somewhere  above 
on  this  river,  had  embarked  with  a  valuable 
cargo  of  beaver.  Unacquainted  with  the 
stream,  which  he  believed  would  conduct 
him  safely  to  the  Missouri,  he  came  unex- 
pectedly  into  this  canon,  where  he  was 
wrecked,  with  the  total  loss  of  his  furs.  It 
would  have  been  a  work  of  great  time  and 
labor  to  pack  our  baggage  across  the  ridgo, 
and  I  determined  to  run  the  canon.  We  all 
again  embarked,  and  at  first  attempted  to 
check  the  way  of  the  boat ;  but  the  water 
swept  through  with  so  much  violence  that 
we  narrowly  escaped  being  swamped,  and 
were  obliged  to  let  her  go  in  the  full  force  of 
the  current,  and  trust  to  the  skill  of  the  boat* 
men.  The  dangerous  places  in  this  canon 
were  where  huge  rocks  had  fallen  from  above, 
and  hemmed  in  the  already  narrow  pass  of 
the  river  to  an  open  space  of  three  or  four 
and  five  feet.  These  obstructions  raised  the 
water  considerably  above,  which  was  some- 
times precipitated  over  in  a  fall ;  and  at  other 
places,  where  this  dam  was  too  high,  rushed 
through  the  contracted  opening  with  tremen- 
dous violence.  Had  our  boat  been  made  of 
wood,  in  passing  the  narrows  she  would  have 
been  staved ;  but  her  elasticity  preserved  her 
unhurt  from  every  shock,  and  she  seemed 
fairly  to  leap  over  the  falls. 

In  this  way  we  passed  three  cataracts  in 
succession,  where,  perhaps  100  feet  of  smooth 
water  intervened  ;  and,  finally,  with  a  shout 
of  pleasure  at  our  success,  issued  from  our 
tunnel  into  the  open  day  beyond.  We  were 
so  delighted  with  the  performance  of  our 
boat,  and  so  confident  in  her  powers,  that  we 
would  not  have  hesitated  to  leap  a  fall  often 
feet  with  her.  We  put  to  shore  for  break- 
fast at  some  willows  on  the  right  bank,  im- 
mediately below  the  mouth  of  the  caiion ;  for 
it  was  now  8  o'clock,  and  we  had  been  work- 
ing since  daylight,  and  were  all  wet,  fatigued, 
and  hungry.  While  the  men  were  prepar- 
ing breakfast,  I  went  out  to  reconnoitre.  The 
view  was  very  limited.  The  course  of  the 
river  was  smooth,  so  far  as  I  could  see ;  on 
both  sides  were  broken  hills ;  and  but  a  mils 
or  two  below  was  another  high  ridge.    Tha 


[1849 

he  •ummit  tho 
inued  cataract 
na,  and  brokea 
We  saw  no- 
lat  which  had 
;  20  or  26  feet 
9  the  place  io 
floods,  the  rush 
would  produce 
fleeted  squarely 
e  passage  in  a 
ppcarance  of  a 
irevious  to  thia 
^  learned  from 
lewhere  above 
irith  a  valuable 
nted  with  the 
would  conduct 
16  came  unex* 
rhere  he  was 
>f  his  furs.  It 
^reat  time  and 
ross  the  ridge, 
anon.  We  all 
t  attempted  to 
but  the  water 

I  violence  that 
swamped,  and 

;he  full  force  of 
kill  of  the  boat* 
in  this  canon 
len  from  above, 
narrow  pass  o( 
f  three  or  four 
tions  raised  the 
lich  was  some- 
11 ;  and  at  other 
)o  high,  rushed 
\g  with  tremen- 
:  been  made  of 
she  would  have 
y  preserved  her 
id  she  seemed 

!e  cataracts  in 

0  feet  of  smooth 
y,  with  a  lihout 
isued  from  our 
•nd.  We  were 
rmance  of  our 
powers,  that  we 
jap  a  fall  often 
lore  for  break- 
ight  bank,  ini- 
the  canon ;  for 
had  been  work* 

II  wet,  fatigued, 

1  were  prepar- 
:onnoitre.  The 

course  of  the 
could  see ;  on 
and  but  a  mile 
[h  ridge.    Tha 


1843.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


40 


rock  at  the  mouth  of  the  caiion  was  still  the 
decomposing  granite,  with  great  quantities 
of  mica,  which  made  a  very  glittering  sand. 
We  re-embarked  at  9  o'clock,  and  m  about 
twenty  minutes  reached  the  next  caAon. 
Landing  on  a  rocky  shore  at  its  commence- 
ment, we  ascended  the  ridge  to  reconnoitre. 
Portage  was  oui,  of  the  question.  So  far  as 
wc  could  see,  tho  jagged  rocks  pointed  out 
tho  course  of  the  cafton,  on  a  winding  Jine 
of  seven  or  eight  miles.  It  was  simply  a  nar- 
rnw,  dark  chasm  in  the  rock ;  and  here  the 
perpendicular  faces  were  much  higher  than 
in  the  previous  pass,  being  at  this  end  two 
to  three  hundrea,  and  further  down,  as  we 
afterwards  ascertained,  five  hundred  feet  in 
vertical  height.  Our  previous  success  had 
made  us  bold,  and  we  determined  again  to 
run  the  canon.  Everything  was  secured  as 
firmly  as  possible;  and  havii  ,'  divested  our- 
selves of  tiie  greater  part  of  our  clothing,  we 
pushed  into  the  stream.  To  save  our  cliro- 
iiometcr  from  accident,  Mr.  Preuss  took  it, 
nnd  attempted  to  proceed  along  the  shore  on 
tho  masses  of  rock,  which  in  places  were 
piled  up  on  either  side ;  but,  after  he  had 
walked  about  five  minutes,  everything  like 
sl.ore  disappeared,  and  the  vertical  wall 
came  squarely  down  into  the  water.  lie 
therefore  waited  until  we  came  up.  An 
ugly  pass  lay  before  us.  We  had  made  fast 
to  the  stern  of  the  boat  a  strong  rope  aboui 
fifty  leet  long ;  and  three  of  the  men  clam- 
bcred  along  among  the  rocks,  and  with  this 
rope  let  her  down  slowly  through  the  pass. 
In  several  places  high  rocks  lay  scattered 
nbout  in  the  channel ;  and  in  the  narrows  it 
required  all  our  strength  and  skill  to  avoid 
staving  the  boat  on  the  sharp  points.  In  one 
of  these,  the  boat  proved  a  little  too  broad, 
and  stuck  fast  for  an  instant,  while  the  water 
flow  over  us ;  fortunately,  it  was  but  for  an 
instant,  as  our  united  strength  forced  her 
ininipdiately  through.  The  water  swept 
overboard  only  a  sextant  and  a  pair  of  saddle- 
bags. I  caught  the  sextant  as  it  passed  by 
me ;  but  the  saddlebags  became  the  prey  of 
the  whirlpools.  We  reached  the  place  where 
Mr.  Preuss  was  standing,  took  him  on 
board,  and,  with  the  aid  of  the  boat,  put  the 
men  with  the  rope  on  the  succf  eding  pile  of 
rocks.  We  found  this  passage  much  worse 
than  the  previous  o.;e,  and  our  position  was 
rather  a  bad  on**.  To  go  back,  was  impos- 
sible ;  before  us,  the  cataract  was  a  sheet  of 
foam;  and  -hut  up  in  the  chasm  by  the 
rocks,  which,  in  some  places,  seemed  almost 
to  meet  overhead,  the  roar  of  the  water  was 
deafening.  We  pushed  oif  again ;  but,  after 
making  a  little  distance,  the  force  of  the  cur- 
rent became  too  great  for  the  men  on  shore, 
and  two  of  them  let  go  the  rope.  Lajeu- 
nesse,  the  third  man,  hung  on,  and  was  jerk- 
ed headforemost  into  the  river  from  a  rock 

4 


about  twelve  feet  hich ;  and  down  the  boat  ebot 
like  an  arrow,  Basil  following  ue  in  the  rapid 
current,  and  exerting  all  his  strength  to  keep 
in  mid  channel — his  head  only  seen  occa- 
sionally like  a  black  spot  in  the  white  foam. 
How  far  we  went,  I  do  not  exactly  know ; 
but  we  succeeded  in  turning  the  boat  into  an 
eddy  below.  ''^Cri  Dieu,  naid  Basil  La- 
jeunesse,  as  he  arrived  immediately  after  us, 
"  Je  crois  bien  que  fai  nagi  un  dnni  mile." 
He  had  owed  his  life  to  his  skill  as  a  swim- 
mer, and  I  determined  to  take  him  and  the 
two  others  on  board,  and  trust  to  skill  and 
fortune  to  reach  the  other  end  in  safety.  We 
placed  ourselves  on  our  knees,  with  the  short 
paddles  in  our  hands,  the  most  sk.lful  boat- 
man beiii^'  at  the  how  ;  and  again  we  com- 
menced our  rapid  descent.  We  cleared 
rock  after  rock,  and  shot  past  fall  after  fall, 
our  little  boat  seeming  to  play  with  the  cata- 
ract. We  became  flushed  with  success,  and 
familiar  with  the  danger;  and,  yielding  to 
the  excitement  of  the  occasion,  broke  fortli 
together  into  a  Canadian  boat  song.  Sing- 
ing, or  rather  shouting,  we  dashed  along; 
and  were,  I  believe,  in  the  midst  of  the  cho- 
rus, when  the  boat  struck  a  concealed  rock 
immediately  at  the  foot  of  a  fall,  which 
whirled  her  over  in  an  instant.  Three  of 
my  men  could  not  swim,  and  my  first  feel- 
ing was  to  assist  them,  and  save  some  of 
our  elTects ;  but  a  sharp  concussion  or  two 
convinced  me  that  I  had  not  yet  saved  my- 
self. A  few  strokes  brought  me  into  an 
eddy,  and  I  landed  on  a  pile  of  rocks  on  the 
left  side.  Looking  around,  I  saw  that  Mr. 
Preuss  had  gained  the  shore  on  the  same 
side,  about  twenty  yards  below ;  and  a  little 
climbing  and  swimming  soon  brought  him 
to  my  side.  On  the  opposite  side,  against 
the  wall,  lay  the  boat  bottom  up ;  and  Lam- 
bert was  in  the  act  of  saving  Descoteaux, 
whom  he  had  grasped  by  the  hair,  and 
who  could  not  swim  ;  " Ldche  pas"  said 
he,  as  1  afterwards  learned,  "  ldche.  pas,  cher 
frere."  "Crairis  pas,"  was  the  reply,  "  Je 
m'cn  vais  mourir  avant  que  de  te  Idcher." 
Such  was  the  reply  of  courage  and  gene- 
rosity in  this  danger.  For  a  hundred  yards 
below  the  current  was  covered  with  floating 
books  and  boxes,  bales  of  blankets,  and  scat- 
tered articles  of  clothing ;  and  so  strong  and 
boiling  was  the  stream,  that  even  our  heavy 
instruments,  which  were  all  in  cases,  kept 
on  the  surface,  and  the  sextant,  circle,  and 
the  long  black  box  of  the  telescope,  were  in 
view  at  once.  For  a  moment,  I  felt  some 
what  disheartened.  All  our  books — almost 
every  record  of  the  journey — our  journals 
and  registers  of  astronomical  and  barometri- 
cal observations — had  been  lost  in  a  moment. 
But  it  was  no  time  to  indulge  in  regrets ; 
and  I  immediately  set  about  endeavoring  to 
save  something  from  the  wreck.    Making 


•0 


CAl'I'.  rilKMoNTH  NARRATIVK. 


11849. 


ounelves  understood  as  well  as  possible  by 
•iffM  (for  notbing  could  bo  heard  in  the  roar 
01  watora),  wo  commenced  our  operations, 
or  everything  on  board,  the  only  article  that 
hod  been  saved  was  my  double  barrelled  gun, 
which  Descoteaux  had  caught,  and  clung  to 
with  drowning  tenacity.  The  men  continu- 
ed down  the  river  on  the  lefl  bank.  Mr. 
Preuss  and  myself  descended  on  the  side  we 
were  on ;  and  Lajeunesse,  with  a  paddle  in 
hia  hand,  jumped  on  the  boat  alone,  and  con- 
tinued down  tlie  caSon.  She  was  now  light, 
and  cleared  every  bau  place  with  much  less 
difficulty.  In  a  short  time  he  was  joined  by 
Lambert,  and  the  search  was  continued  for 
about  a  mile  and  a  half,  which  was  as  far  as 
the  boat  could  proceed  in  the  pass. 

Here  the  walls  were  about  five  hundred 
feet  high,  and  the  fragments  of  rocks  from 
above  nad  choked  the  river  into  a  hollow 
pass,  but  one  or  two  feet  above  the  surface. 
Through  this  and  the  interstices  of  the  rock, 
the  water  found  its  way.  Favored  beyond 
our  e.xpectations,  all  of  our  registers  had 
been  recovered,  with  the  exception  of  one 
of  my  journals,  which  contained  the  notes 
and  incidents  of  travel,  and  topographical 
descriptions,  a  number  of  scattered  astrono- 
mical observations,  principally  meridian  alti- 
tudes of  the  sun,  and  our  barometrical  regis- 
ter west  of  Laramie.  J'ortunately,  our 
other  journals  contained  duplicates  of  the 
most  important  barometrical  observations 
which  had  been  taken  in  the  mountains. 
These,  with  a  few  scattered  notes,  were  all 
that  had  been  preserved  of  our  meteorologi- 
cal observations.  In  addition  to  these,  we 
saved  the  circle;  and  these,  with  a  few 
blankets,  constituted  everything  that  had 
been  rescued  from  the  waters. 

The  day  was  running  rapidly  away,  and 
it  was  necessary  to  reach  Goat  island,  whi- 
ther the  party  had  preceded  us,  before  night. 
In  this  uncertain  country,  the  traveller  is  so 
much  in  the  power  of  chance,  that  we  be- 
came somewhat  uneasy  in  regard  to  them. 
Should  anything  have  occurred,  in  the  brief 
interval  of  our  separation,  to  prevent  our  re- 
joining them,  our  situation  would  be  rather 
a  desperate  one.  We  had  not  a  morsel  of 
provisions — our  arms  and  ammunition  were 
gone — and  we  were  entirely  at  the  mercy  of 
any  straggling  party  of  savages,  and  not  a 
Utile  in  danger  of  starvation.  We  therefore 
set  out  at  once  in  two  parties.  Mr.  Preuss 
and  myself  on  the  left,  and  the  men  on  the 
opposite  sidu  of  the  river.  Climbing  out  of 
the  canon,  we  found  ourselves  in  a  very 
broken  country,  where  we  were  not  yet  able 
to  recognize  any  locality.  In  the  course  of 
our  descent  through  the  canon,  the  rock, 
which  at  the  upper  end  was  of  the  decom- 
posing granite,  changed  into  a  varied  sand- 
■tone  formation.    The  hills  and  points  of  the 


ridges  worn  'jvered  with  fragments  of  i 
yellow  sandstone,  of  which  the  strata  wer« 
sometimes  displayed  in  the  broken  rnvinet 
which  interrupted  our  course,  and  nmde  our 
walk  extremely  fatiguin)^'.  At  one  point  of 
the  caiion  the  red  argillaceous  saiutstone 
rose  in  a  wall  of  five  hundred  feet,  surmount- 
ed by  a  stratum  of  white  sandstone ;  and  in 
an  opposite  ravine  a  column  of  red  sriiidHtoiu) 
rose,  in  form  like  a  steeple,  about  one  linndretl 
and  filly  feet  high.  The  scenery  was  extreino- 
ly  picturcstjue,  and  notwithstanding  onr  for- 
lorn condition,  we  were  fre(|ucntly  ob!i}r(.,l  to 
stop  und  admire  it.  Our  progress  wtis  nni 
very  rapid.  We  had  emerged  from  the  wiuti 
half  naked,  and,  on  arriving  at  the  top  nf  tlii> 
precipice,  I  found  myself  with  only  one  inor- 
casin.  The  fragments  of  rock  mii'le  wjiik. 
ing  painful,  and  I  was  frequently  obli^'til  id 
stop  and  pull  out  the  thorns  ot  the  ruriu^, 
here  the  prevailing  plant,  and  with  whith  ^ 
few  minutes'  walk  covered  the  bottt)m  of  inv 
feet.  From  this  ridge  the  river  eniordij 
into  a  smiling  prairie, and,  descending  to  ihe 
bank  for  water,  we  were  joined  by  fieiioist 
The  rest  of  the  party  were  out  ot  siirlii. 
having  taken  a  more  inland  route.  Wh 
cros.«ed  the  river  repeatedly — sometimes 
able  to  Cord  it,  and  sometimes  swiininiiij;— 
climbed  over  the  ridges  of  two  more  caiioii-, 
and  towards  evening  reached  the  cut,  wiiich 
we  lu^ro  named  the  Hot  Spring  gate.  On 
our  previous  visit  in  July,  we  had  not  enter- 
ed this  pass,  reserving  it  for  our  descent  in 
the  boat ;  and  when  we  entered  it  this  even- 
ing, Mr.  Preuss  was  a  few  hundred  feet  in 
advance.  Heated  with  the  long  march,  l.t> 
came  suddenly  upon  a  line  bold  spring  giisli- 
ing  from  the  rock,  about  ten  feet  above  tlic 
river.  Eager  to  enjoy  the  crystal  water,  In? 
threw  himself  down  for  a  hasty  draught,  iiml 
took  a  mouthful  of  water  almost  boiling  hot 
He  said  nothing  to  Benoist,  who  laid  hinisi!; 
down  to  drink ;  but  the  steam  from  the  \\iui>r 
arrested  his  eagerness,  and  he  escaped  llie 
hot  draught.  We  had  no  thermometer  tn 
ascertain  the  temperature,  but  I  could  hold 
my  hand  in  the  water  just  long  enough  tn 
count  two  seconds.  There  are  eight  or  ten 
of  these  springs  discharging  themselves  by 
streams  large  enough  to  be  called  runs.  A 
loud  hollow  noise  was  heard  from  the  rock 
which  I  supposed  to  be  produced  by  the  liili 
of  the  water.  The  strata  immediately  when- 
they  issue  is  a  fine  white  and  calcareou, 
sandstone,  covered  with  an  incrustation  nl 
common  salt.  Leaving  this  Thermopyla}  of 
the  west,  in  a  short  walk  we  reached  tlie  red 
ridge  which  has  been  described  as  lying  just 
above  Goat  Island.  Ascending  this,  wo 
found  some  fresh  tracks  and  a  button,  which 
showed  that  the  other  men  had  already  ar- 
rived. A  shout  from  the  man  who  first 
reached  the  top  of  the  ridge,  responded  tt 


11849 

rapfincnts  of  a 
le  strata  were 
broken  rnvine« 
,  and  niude  our 
it  ono  point  of 
>ous  samlHtone 
feet,  surmount- 
dptone ;  and  in 
f  red  Hfindstono 
mtonclinndretl 
y  was  extreme. 
ndin<;  onr  for- 
ently  oblifriHl  to 
onjrcHH  wiis  ni)( 
from  tlin  watfi 

t  tllO   tO|)  of  t|l(. 

1  only  ohfi  inoc 
)ck  miidc  Willi;. 

ntly  oblijifil  id 

ol  tlie  ciiriuf, 

I  with  which  u 

c  bottom  of  my 

river  (Mnnr;:(>il 
Hcendinj,'  to  tin; 
led  by  Dt.'uoist 
e  out  of  siijlii. 
d  route.  \\i- 
lly — somPliint's 
's  swimniinji;— • 

0  more  cimoiis 
the  cut,  wliitli 

ring  gate.  On 
?  had  not  enter- 
our  descent  in 
red  it  this  even- 
hundred  feet  in 
lonjj  march,  he 
»id  spring  giisli- 
feet  abiivo  the 
ystal  water,  ho 
ity  draiiglit,  nmi 
lost  boiling  hot. 
i\\o  laid  liinisc!; 

1  from  the  wiirer 
he  escaped  llie 
liermomoter  tn 
but  I  could  iiiili! 
long  enougli  tn 
ire  eight  or  len 

themselves  l;y 
3alled  runs.  A 
I  from  the  rod; 
uced  by  the  liili 
nediately  wiiert' 
and  calcareon; 
incrustation  of 
Thermopyla}  of 
reached  the  rod 
ed  as  lying  just 
nding  thia,  we 
a  button,  whicti 
had  already  ar- 

man  who  first 
},  responded  (a 


.843. J 


CA"T.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


II 


fmm  below,  infotmod  ur  that  our  friends  were 
all  on  the  island  ;  and  wo  v.  ere  soon  among; 
them.  We  found  some  pecea  of  buffalo 
standing  around  the  firo  for  ur,  and  managed 
to  i;et  Rome  dry  clothea  among  the  people. 
A  Rudden  storm  of  rain  drove  us  into  the 
best  Rhelter  wo  could  find,  where  we  slept 
Mundly,  after  one  of  the  most  fatiguing  dayi 
1  have  ever  experienced. 

Augvst  26. — Early  this  morning  Ijajeu- 
nesHe  was  sent  to  the  wreck  for  the  articles 
which  had  been  saved,  and  about  noon  we 
left  the  island.  The  mare  which  we  had 
left  here  in  July  had  much  improved  in  con< 
(lition,  and  she  served  us  well  again  for  some 
lime,  but  was  finally  abandoncu  at  a  subse- 
quent part  of  the  journey.  At  10  in  the 
morning  of  the  26th  we  reached  Cache 
camp,  where  we  found  everything  undis- 
tnrbcd.  We  disinterred  our  deposit,  ar- 
ranged our  carts  which  had  been  left  here  on 
llie  way  out,  and,  travelling  a  few  miles  in 
the  afternoon,  encamped  for  the  night  at  the 
lord  of  the  Platte. 

August  27. — At  midday  we  halted  at  the 
place  where  we  had  taken  dinner  on  the  27th 
iif  July.  The  country  which,  when  we  pass- 
ed up,  looked  as  if  the  hard  winter  frosts 
had  passed  over  it,  had  now  assumed  a  new 
face,  so  much  of  vernal  freshness  had  been 
(.'iven  to  it  by  the  late  rains.  The  Platte  was 
exceedingly  low — a  mere  lineof  wateramong 
the  sandbars.  We  reached  Laramie  fort  on 
llic  last  day  of  August,  after  an  absence  of 
forty-two  days,  and  had  the  pleasure  to  find 
our  friends  all  well.  The  fortieth  day  had 
hoen  fi.\ed  for  our  return ;  and  the  quick  eyes 
of  the  Indians,  who  were  on  the  lookout  for 
ns,  discovered  our  flag  as  we  wound  among 
the  hills.  The  fort  saluted  us  with  repeated 
discharges  of  its  single  piece,  which  we  re- 
turned with  scattered  volleys  of  our  small 
arms,  and  felt  the  joy  of  a  home  reception  in 
1,'otting  back  to  this  remote  station,  which 
Boetned  so  far  off  as  we  went  out. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  September  we 
hade  adieu  to  our  kind  friends  at  the  fort, 
and  continued  our  homeward  journey  down 
the  Platte,  which  was  glorious  with  the  au- 
tumnal splendor  of  innumerable  flowers  in 
full  and  brilliant  bloom.  On'tlie  warm  sands, 
among  the  helianthi,  one  of  the  characteristic 
plants,  we  saw  great  numbers  of  rattlesnakes, 
of  which  five  or  six  were  killed  in  the  morn- 
ing's ride.  We  occupied  ourselves  in  im- 
proving our  previous  survey  of  the  river; 
and,  as  the  weather  was  fine,  astronomical 
observations  were  generally  made  at  night 
and  at  noon. 

We  halted  for  a  short  time  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  dth  with  a  village  of  Sioux  In- 
dians, some  of  whose  chiefs  we  had  met  at 
Laramie.  The  water  in  the  Platte  was  ex- 
tremely low ;  in  many  places,  the  large  ex- 


panse of  sands,  with  Rome  occasional  Rtunt«d 
trees  on  the  bankR,  gave  it  the  air  of  the  lea- 
coast ;  the  bed  of  the  river  being  merely  a 
RucceRsion  of  RandbarR,  among  which  the 
channel  waR  divided  into  rivulets  a  few  inchca 
deep.  We  crossed  and  recrossed  with  our 
carts  repeatedly  and  at  our  pleasure  ;  and, 
whenever  an  obstruction  barred  our  way,  in 
the  shape  of  precipitous  bluffs  that  cumo 
down  upon  the  river,  wo  turned  directly  into 
it,  and  made  our  way  along  the  sundy  lied, 
with  no  other  inconvenience  than  the  fre- 
quent quicksands,  which  greatly  fatigued  our 
animals.  Disinterring  on  the  way  the  niche 
which  had  been  made  by  our  party  when  they 
ascended  the  river,  we  reacked  without  ac- 
cident, on  the  evening  o(  the  12th  of  Sep- 
tember,our  old  encampment  of  the  2d  of  July, 
at  the  junction  of  the  forks.  Our  cache  of 
the  barrel  of  ytork  was  found  undisturbed, 
and  proved  a  seasonable  addition  tu  our  stock 
of  provisions.  At  this  place  I  had  determin- 
ed to  make  another  attempt  to  descend  the 
I'latte  by  water,  and  accordingly  spent  two 
days  in  the  construction  of  a  bull  boat.  Men 
were  sent  out  on  the  evening  of  our  arrival, 
the  necessary  number  of  bulls  killed,  and 
their  skins  brought  to  the  camp.  Four  of 
the  best  of  them  were  strongly  sewed  to- 
gether with  buffalo  sinew,  and  stretched 
over  a  basket  frame  of  willow.  The  seams 
were  then  covered  with  ashes  and  tallow,  and 
the  boat  left  exposed  to  the  sun  lor  the  great- 
er part  of  one  day,  which  was  sufficient  to 
dry  and  contract  the  skin,  and  make  the  whole 
work  solid  and  strong.  It  had  a  rounded 
bow,  was  eight  feet  long  and  five  broad,  and 
drew  with  four  men  about  four  inches  water. 
On  the  morninij  of  the  16th  we  embarked  in 
our  hide  boat.  Sir.  Preuss  and  myself,  with 
two  men.  We  dragged  her  over  the  sanda 
for  three  or  four  miles,  and  then  left  her  on 
a  bar,  and  abandoned  entirely  all  further  at- 
tempts to  navigate  this  river.  The  names 
given  by  the  Indians  are  always  remarkably 
appropriate;  and  certainly  none  was  ever 
more  so  than  that  which  they  have  given  to 
this  stream — "  the  Nebraska,  or  Shallow 
river."  Walking  steadily  the  remainder  of 
the  day,  a  little  l^fore  dark  we  overtook  our 
people  at  their  remaining  camp, about  twenty- 
one  miles  below  the  junction.  The  next 
morning  we  crossed  the  Platte,  and  continued 
cur  way  down  the  river  bottom  on  the  left 
bank,  where  wc  found  an  excellent  plainly 
beaten  road. 

On  the  18th  we  reached  Grand  Island, 
which  is  fifty-two  miles  long,  with  an  ave- 
rage breadth  of  one  mile  and  three-quarters. 
It  has  on  it  some  small  eminences,  and  is 
sufficiently  elevated  to  be  secure  from  the 
annual  floods  of  the  river.  As  has  been 
already  remarked,  it  is  well  timbered,  with 
an  excellent  soil,  and  recommendB  itself  to 


n 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVL. 


riStt 


notice  as  the  best  point  for  a  military  position 
on  the  Lower  Platte. 

On  the  32d  we  arrived  at  the  village  of 
the  Grand  Pawnees,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river,  about  thirty  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Loup  fork.  They  were  gathering  in 
their  corn,  and  we  obtamed  from  them  a  very 
welcome  supply  of  vegetables. 

The  morning  of  the  24th  we  reached  the 
Loup  fork  of  the  Platte.  At  the  place  where 
wo  forded  it,  this  stream  was  four  hundred 
and  thirty  yards  broad,  with  a  swift  current 
of  clear  water ;  in  this  respect,  differing  from 
the  Platte,  which  has  a  yellow  muddy  color, 
derived  from  the  limestone  and  marl  ioriW' 
aiion,  of  which  we  have  previously  spoken. 
The  ford  was  difficult,  as  the  water  was  so 
deep  that  it  came  into  the  body  of  the  carts, 
and  we  reached  the  opposite  bank  after  re- 
peated attempts,  ascending  and  descending 
the  bed  of  the  river  in  order  to  avail  our- 
selves of  the  bars.  We  encamped  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  fork,  in  the  point  of  land  at 
its  junction  with  the  Platte.  During  the 
two  days  that  we  remained  here  for  astro- 
nomical observations,  the  bad  weather  per- 
mitted us  to  obtain  but  one  good  observation 
for  the  latitude — a  meridian  altitude  of  the 
sun,  which  gave  for  the  latitude  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Loup  fork,  41°  22'  11". 

Five  or  six  days  previously,  I  had  sent 
forward  C.  Lambert,  with  two  men,  to  Belle- 
vue,  with  directions  to  ask  from  Mr.  P. 
Sarpy,  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  the  Ame- 
rican Company's  establishment  at  that  place, 
the  aid  of  his  carpenters  in  constructing  a 
boat,  in  which  I  proposed  to  descend  the 
Missouri.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  we 
met  one  of  the  men,  who  had  been  despatch- 
ed by  Mr.  Sarpy  with  a  welcome  supply  ot 
provisions  and  a  very  kind  note,  which  gave 
us  the  very  gratifying  intelligence  that  our 
boat  was  in  rapid  progress.  On  the  evening 
of  the  30th  we  encamped  in  an  almost  im- 
penetrable undergrowth  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Platte,  in  the  point  of  land  at  its  conflu- 
ence with  the  Missouri — three  hundred  and 
fifteen  miles,  according  to  our  reckoning, 
from  the  junction  of  the  forks,  and  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty  from  Fort  Laramie . 

From  the  junction  we  had  found  the  bed 
of  the  Platte  occupied  with  numerous  islands, 
•nany  of  them  very  large,  and  all  well  tim- 


bered ;  possessing,  aa  well  as  the  bottom 
lands  of  the  river,  a  very  excellent  soil. 
With  the  exception  of  some  scattered  groves 
on  the  banks,  the  bottoms  are  generally 
without  timber.  A  portion  of  these  consist 
of  low  grounds,  covered  wiih  a  profusion  of 
fine  grasses,  and  are  probably  inundated  in 
the  spring ;  the  remaining  part  is  high  river 
prairie,  entirely  beyond  the  influence  of  the 
floods.  The  breadth  of  the  river  is  usually 
three-quarters  of  a  mile,  fx-opt  where  it  is 
enlarged  by  islands.  That  portion  of  its 
course  which  is  occupied  by  Grand  island 
has  an  average  breadth,  from  shore  to  shore, 
of  two  and  a  half  miles. 

October  1. — I  rose  this  morning  long  be- 
fore daylight,  and  heard  with  a  feeiiiii;  of 
pleasure  the  tinkling  of  cow-bells  at  tiie  set- 
tlements on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Missiouri. 
Early  in  the  day  we  reached  Mr.  Sarpy's 
residence ;  and,  in  the  security  and  comfort 
of  his  hospitable  mansion,  felt  the  pleasure 
of  being  again  within  the  pale  of  civilisa- 
tion. We  found  our  boat  on  the  stocks; 
a  few  days  sufficed  to  complete  her ;  and,  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  4th,  we  embarked  on 
the  Missouri.  All  our  equipage — horses. 
carts,  and  the  materiel  of  the  camp — inid 
been  sold  at  public  auction  at  Believue. 
The  strength  of  my  party  enabled  mc  to  man 
the  boat  with  ten  oars,  relieved  every  hour; 
and  we  descended  rapidly.  Early  on  the 
morning  of  the  tenth,  we  halted  to  make 
some  astronomical  observations  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Kansas,  exactly  four  months  since  we 
had  left  the  trading  post  of  Mr.  Cyprian 
Chouteau,  on  the  same  river,  ten  miles 
above.  On  our  descent  to  this  place,  wg 
had  employed  ourselves  in  surveying  and 
sketching  the  Missouri,  making  astronomi- 
cal observations  regularly  at  night  and  at 
midday,  whenever  the  weather  permitteu'. 
These  operations  on  the  river  were  conti- 
nued until  our  arrival  at  the  city  of  St.  lyiuis, 
Missouri,  on  the  17th.  At  St.  Louis,  tl.e 
sale  of  our  remaining  effects  was  made; 
and,  leaving  that  cicy  by  steamboat  on  the 
18th,  I  had  the  honor  to  report  to  yoa  at  the 
city  of  Washington  on  the  29th  of  October. 

Very  respectfully,  sir. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  C.  FREMONT, 
SJ  Lieut.  Corps  of  TopogH  Engineen 


[184 

1  as  the  bottom 
■  excellent  soil. 
scattered  groves 
s  are  generally 

of  these  consist 
h  a  prolusion  of 
L)ly  inundated  in 
)art  is  high  river 
influence  of  the 
J  river  is  usually 

opt  where  it  is 

portion   of  iu 

)y  Grand  island 

1  shore  to  shore, 

oriiing  long  be- 
ith  a  feeiiiit,'  of 

•bells  at  tiie  aet- 

of  the  Missouri. 
led  Mr.  Sarpy's 
rity  and  comfort 
E?lt  the  pleasure 
Dale  of  civilisa- 

on  the  stocks; 
ete  her  ;  and,  in 
:e  embarked  on 
uipage — horses. 

the  camp — liiid 
in  at  Belicvuo, 
ibled  me  to  man 
ved  every  hour; 
Early  on  the 
halted  to  make 
3ns  at  tiie  mouth 
nonths  since  we 
of  Mr.  Cyprian 
iver,   ten   miles 

this  place,  wg 

surveying  and 
king  astrononu- 
Lt  night  and  at 
Lther  j)ermitted 
ter  were  conti- 
ity  of  St.  ly^uis, 

St.  Louis,  tht" 
cts  was  niaJo; 
eamboat  on  the 
)rt  to  yoa  at  the 
9th  of  October. 

servant, 
FREMONT. 

togU  Engineers 


v/r  OAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ASTRONOMICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
The  longitude$  given  in  the  subjoined  table  are  re/erred  to  the  meridian  of  Oreenwiek. 


For  the  determination  of  astronomical  poei- 
tions,  we  were  provided  with  the  following  in- 
•truments : 

One  telescope,  magnifying  power  120. 

One  circle,  by  Gambey,  Paris. 

One  sextant,  by  Gambey,  Paris. 

One  sextant,  by  Troughton. 

Ono  box  chronometer.  No.  7,810,  by  French. 

8 no  Brockbunk  pocket  chronometer, 
ue  small  watch  with  a  light  chronometer  bal- 
ance. No.  4,632,  by  Arnold  &  Dent. 
Tlio  rate  of  tl»o  chronometer  7,810,  is  exhibit- 
ed in  the  following  statement : 

"  New  York,  Matj  5,  1842. 
"Chronometer  No.  7,810,  by  French,  is  this 
fey  at  noon — 

"  Slow  of  Greenwich  mean  time  1 1'  4" 
"Fast  of  New  York  mean  time  4A.45'  1" 
"  Loses  per  day 

"  ARTHUR  STEWART, 
1  "  74  Merchants'  Exchange." 


■^  Tff 


An  accident  among  some  rough  ground  ir 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Kansas  nvor,  strained 
the  balance  of  this  chronometer,  (No.  7,810,) 
and  rendered  it  useless  during  the  remainder  of 
the  campaign.  From  the  9th  of  .Tune  to  the 
24th  of  August,  inclusively,  the  longitudes  de- 
pend upon  the  Brockbank  pocket  chronometer ; 
the  rate  of  which,  on  leaving  St.  Louis,  was 
fourteen  seconds.  The  rate  obtained  by  olwiT- 
vations  at  Fort  Laramie,  14".05,  has  been  uwtd 
in  calculation. 

From  the  24th  of  August  until  the  termina- 
tion of  the  journey.  No.  4,632  (of  which  the 
rate  was  35".79)  was  used  for  the  same  pur- 
poses. The  rate  of  this  watch  was  irregular, 
and  I  place  but  little  confidence  in  the  few 
longitudes  which  depend  upon  it,  though,  so  far 
as  WQ  have  any  means  of  judging,  they  appear 
tolerably  correct. 


Table  of  latitudes  and  longitudes,  deduced  from  observations  made  during 

the  journey. 


Date. 

station. 

Latitude. 

Longitndo. 

1842. 

Deg. 

min 

sec. 

De^. 

min.  sec. 

May  27 

St.  Louis,  residence  of  Colonel  Brant     ... 

38 

37 

34 

June    6 

Chouteau's  lower  trading  post,  Kansas  river    - 

39 

05 

57 

94 

25    46 

10 

lieft  bank  of  the  Kansas  river,  seven  miles  above  the 

ford 

39 

06 

40 

95 

38    05 

18 

Vermilion  creek            .        .        .        .        - 

39 

15 

19 

96 

04    07 

19 

Cold  Springs,  near  the  road  to  Laramie 

39 

30 

40 

96 

14    49 

20 

Big  Blue  river     -.-..-. 

39 

45 

08 

96 

32    35 

25 

Little  Blue  river 

40 

26 

50 

98 

22     12 

26 

Right  bank  of  Platte  river    .         -        .         -         - 

40 

41 

06 

98 

45    49 

27 

Right  bank  of  Platte  river 

40 

39 

32 

99 

05    24 

28 

Right  bank  of  Platte  river    -        .        -        .        - 

40 

39 

51 

30 

Right  bank  of  Platto  river 

40 

39 

55 

100 

05   4r 

July    2 

Junction  of  north  and  south  forks  of  the  Nebraska 

or  Platte  river 

41 

05 

05 

100 

49    43 

4 

South  fork  of  Platte  river,  left  bank. 

6 

South  fork  of  Platte  river,  island   .... 

40 

51 

17 

103 

07 

7 

South  fork  of  Platte  river,  left  bank       ... 

40 

53 

26 

103 

30    37 

11 

South  fork  of  Platte  river,  St.  Vrain's  fort 

40 

22 

35 

105 

12    12 

12 

Oow  creek          ....... 

40 

41 

59 

104 

57    49 

13 

On  a  stream,  name  unknown         .... 

41 

08 

30 

104 

39    37 

14 

Horse  creek,  Goshen's  hole  ?          .         .        .        . 

41 

40 

13 

104 

ii4    36 

16 

Tort  I^ramie,  near  the  mouth  of  Laramie's  fork     - 

42 

12 

10 

104 

47    43 

23 

North  fork  of  Platte  river 

42 

39 

25 

104 

59    59 

24 

North  fork  of  Platte  river 

42 

47 

40 

25 

North  fork  of  Platte  river,  Dried  Meat  camp  - 

42 

51 

35 

105 

50    45 

36 

North  fork  of  Platte  river,  noon  halt      ... 

42 

50 

68 

96 

North  fork  of  Platte  river,  mouth  of  Deer  creek     - 

42 

52 

24 

106 

08    94 

98 

North  fork  of  Platte  river,  Cache  camp 

42 

50 

53 

106 

38    26 

99 

Nort>.  fork  of  Ratte  rivar,  left  bank       ... 

42 

38 

01 

106 

54    32 

CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 
Table  of  latitudes  and  longitudes — Continued. 


[1841 


Date. 


1S43. 
.Fuly  30 
Aug.   1 

4 
7 
8 


9 

10 

15 

19 

19 

20 

22 

22 

23 

30 

Sept.  3 

4 

5 

8 
9 
10 
16 
lU 
17 
18 
19 
20 
20 
21 
23 
23 
25 
28 
29 
Oct    2 


5 
6 
6 
8 
10 


Statton. 


North  fork  of  Platte  river,  Goat  island   ... 

Sweet  Water  river,  one  mile  below  Rock  Indepen- 
dence     -.--..-. 

Sweet  Water  river       -...-. 

Sweet  Water  river       .-.--. 

Little  Sandy  creek,  tributary  to  the  Colorado  of  the 
West 

New  fork,  tributary  to  the  Colorado       ... 

Mountain  lake    ..••... 

Highest  peak  of  the  Wind  river  mountains. 

Sweet  Water,  noon  halt       -        -        .         -        . 

Sweet  Water  river       ..-.-. 

Sweet  Water  river       -..-.. 

Sweet  Water  river,  noon  halt        .        .         .        . 

Sweet  Water  river,  at  Rock  Independence     - 

North  fork  of  Platte  river,  mouth  of  Sweet  Water  - 

Horse-shoe  creek,  noon  halt  .        .         .        . 

North  fork  of  Platte  river,  right  bank    ... 

North  fork  of  Platte  river,  near  Scott's  bluffs  . 

North  fork  of  Platto  river,  right  bank,  six  miles  above 
Chimney  rock  ...... 

North  fork  of  Platte  river,  mouth  of  Ash  creek 

North  fork  of  Platte  river,  right  bank    ... 

North  fork  of  Platte  river.  Cedar  blufis  ... 

Platte  river,  noon  halt  ..... 

Platte  river,  left  bank  ...... 

Platte  river,  left  bank  ...... 

Platte  river,  left  bank  ---... 

Platte  river,  left  bank  ...... 

Platte  river,  noon  halt,  left  bank   .... 

Platte  river,  left  bank  ...... 

Platte  river,  left  bank  ...... 

Platte  river,  n^on  halt,  left  bank  .... 

Platte  river,  left  bank  ...... 

Platte  river,  rnouth  of  Loup  fork  .... 

Platte  river,  mouth  of  Elk  Horn  river    ... 

Platte  river,  left  bank  ...... 

Bellevue,  at  the  post  of  the  American  Fur  Company, 
right  bank  of  the  Missouri  river  ... 

Left  bank  of  the  Missouri,  opposite  to  the  right  bank 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Platte  .... 

Missouri  river      '...... 

Bertholet's  island,  noon  halt  .... 

Missouri  river,  mouth  of  Nishnabatona  river   • 

Missouri  river,  left  bank       ..... 

MiMOuri  river,  mouth  of  the  Kaniaa  river 


Latitade. 


Lengitade. 


Deg.  min.  see. 
42    33    27 

42    29    56 

42  32    31 

43  37     15 


Deg  min.  see. 
107    13    29 

107  25    23 

108  30    13 

109  21    32 


43  27  34       109    37    5!) 

42  42  46        109     58    11 

43  49  49    I  110    06    03 

42  24  33 

42  22  22 

42  31  48 

42  26  10 

42  29  36 

42  27  18 

43  24  24 
42  01  40 
41  54  38 

41  43  36 

41  17  19 

41  14  30 

41  10  16 

40  54  31 

40  52  34 

40  43  38 

40  40  31 

40  39  44 

40  48  19 

40  54  03 

41  05  37 
41  20  30 
41  33  52 
41  33  11 
41  09  34 
41  02  15 

41  08  S4    95  X 

41  02  11 

40  34  08 

40  27  08 

40  16  40 

39  36  03 

39  06  08 


[1841 


Deg  min.  tee. 

107  13  29 

10?  25  23 

108  30  13 

109  21  32 

109  37  5!) 

109  58  U 

110  08  03 


95    M 


'/  I 


A  REPORT 


or 


THE  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION 


TO 


OREGON   AND   NORTH   CALIFORNIA 


IN  THE  YEARS  1843-'44. 


Washington  City,  March  1,  1845, 
Colonel  J.  J.  Abert,  Chief  of  the 
Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers : 
Sir  : — In  pursuance  of  your  instructions, 
to  connect  the  reconnoissance  of  1842,  which 
1  had  the  honor  to  conduct,  with  the  survevs 
of  Commander  Wilkes  on  the  coast  o**  t 
Pacific  ocean,  so  as  to  give  a  connected 
vey  of  the  interior  of  our  continent,  I  ;    • 
eeeded  to  the  Great  West  early  in  the  spring 
«f  1843,  and  arrived,  on  the  17th  of  May, 
ii  the  little  town  of  Kansas,  on  the  Mis- 
souri frontier,  near  the  junction  of  the  Kan- 
sas river  with  the  Missouri  river,  where  I 
was  detained  near  two  weeks  in  completing 
the  necessary  preparations  for  the  extended 
explorations  which  my  instructions  contem- 
plated. 

My  party  consisted  principally  of  Creole 
and  Canadian  French,  and  Americans, 
amounting  in  all  to  39  men ;  among  whom 
you  will  recognise  several  of  those  who 
were  with  me  in  my  first  expedition,  and 
who  have  been  favorably  brought  to  your 
aotice  in  a  former  report.  Mr.  Thomas 
Fitzpatrick,  whom  many  years  of  hardship 
and  exposure  in  the  western  territories,  had 
rendered  familiar  with  a  portion  of  the  coun- 
try it  was  designt-d  to  explore,  had  been  se- 
lected as  our  guide ;  and  Mr.  Charles 
Preuss,  who  had  bceu  my  assistant  in  the 
previous  journey,  was  again  associated  with 
me  in  the  same  capacity  on  the  present  ex- 
pedition. Agreeably  to  your  directions, 
Mr.  Theodore  Talbot,  of  Washington  city, 
had  been  attached  to  the  party,  with  a  view 
to  advancement  in  his  profession ;  and  at 
St.  Louis  I  had  been  joined  by  Mr.  Frede- 
rick Dwight,  a  gentleman  of  Springfield, 
Massachusetts,  who  availed  himself  of  our 
•Torland  journef,  to  risit  iha  Sandwich 


Islands  and  China,  by  way  of  Fort  Van- 
couver. 

The  men  engaged  for  the  service  were  : 


Alexis  Ayot, 
Francois  Badeau, 
Oliver  Beaulieu, 
"^aptiste  Bernier, 
■.>hn  A.  Campbell, 
..ohn  G.  Campbell, 
Manuel  Chapman, 
Hansom  Clark, 
Phiiibert  Courteau, 
Michel  Crilis, 
William  Creuss, 
Clinton  Deforest, 
Baptiste  Derosier, 
Basil  Lajeunesse, 
Francois  Lajeunesse, 
Henry  Lee, 


Louis  Mtnard, 
Louis  Montreuil, 
Samuel  Neal, 
Alexis  Pera, 
Fran9ois  Pera, 
James  Power, 
Raphael  Proue, 
Oscar  Sarpy, 
Baptiste  Tabeau, 
Charles  Taplin, 
Baptiste  Tesson, 
Auguste  Vasquez, 
Joseph  Verrot, 
Patrick  White, 
Tiery  Wright, 
Louis  Zindel,  and 


Jacob  Dodson,  a  free  young  colored  man  of 
Washington  city,  who  volunteered  to  ac- 
company the  expedition,  and  performed  Ins 
duty  manfully  throughout  the  voyage.  Two 
Delaware  Indians — a  fine-looking  old  man 
and  his  son — were  engaged  to  accomi)any 
the  expedition  as  hunters,  through  the  kind- 
ness of  Major  Cummins,  the  excellent  In- 
dian agent.  L.  Maxwell,  who  had  accom- 
panied the  expedition  as  one  of  the  hunter!> 
in  1842,  being  on  his  way  to  Taos,  in  New 
Mexico,  also  joined  us  at  this  place. 

The  party  was  armed  generally  with 
Hairs  carbines,  which,  with  a  brass  12-lb. 
howitzer,  had  been  furnished  to  me  from  the 
United  States  arsenal  at  St.  Louis,  agreea- 
bly to  the  orders  of  Colonel  S.  W.  Kearney, 
commanding  the  3d  military  division.  Three 
men  were  especially  detailed  for  the  man- 
agement of  this  piece,  under  the  charge  of 
Louis  Zindel,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  had 
been  19  years  a  non-commissioned  offiotr 


56 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRAi 


[1843 


m 


of  artillery  in  the  Prussian  army,  and  regu- 
larly instructed  in  the  duties  of  his  profes- 
sion. The  camp  equipage  and  provisions 
wero  transported  in  twelve  carts,  drawn 
each  by  two  mules ;  and  a  light  covered 
wagon,  mounted  on  good  springs,  had  been 
provided  for  the  safer  CRrriage  of  instru- 
ments.    These  were : 

One  refracting  te'.escppe,  by  Franenho- 
fer. 

One  reflecting  circle,  by  Gambey. 

Two  sextants,  by  Troughton. 

One  pocket  chronometer,  No.  837,  by 
Goffe,  F.-xlmouth. 

One  pocket  chronometer,  No.  739,  by 
Brockbank. 

One  syphon  barometer,  by  Bunten,  Paris. 

One  cistern  baronieter,  by  Frye  &  Shaw, 
New  York. 

Six  thermometerj ,  and  a  number  of  small 
compasses. 

To  make  the  expl  Dration  as  useful  as  pos- 
sible, I  determined  in  conformity  to  your 
general  instructions,  to  vary  the  route  to 
tlie  Rocky  mountains  from  that  followed  in 
the  year  1842.  The  route  was  then  up  the 
valley  of  the  Great  Platte  river  to  the  South 
Pass,  in  north  latitude  42°  ;  the  route  now 
determined  on  was  up  the  valley  of  the 
Kansas  river,  and  to  the  head  of  the  Ar- 
kansas river,  and  to  some  pass  in  the  moun- 
tains, if  any  could  be  found,  at  the  sources 
of  that  river. 

By  making  this  deviation  from  the  former 
roa'e,  the  problem  of  a  new  road  to  Oregon 
and  California,  in  a  climate  more  genial, 
might  be  solved ;  and  a  better  knowledge 
obtained  of  an  important  river,  and  the  coun- 
try it  drained,  while  the  great  object  of  tiie 
expedition  would  find  its  point  of  commence- 
ment at  the  .ermination  of  the  former,  which 
was  at  that  gieat  gate  in  the  ridge  of  the 
Rocky  mountains  called  the  South  Pass, 
and  on  the  lofty  peak  of  the  mountain  which 
overlooks  it,  deemed  the  highest  peak  in  the 
ridge,  and  from  the  opposite  sides  of  which 
four  great  rivers  take  their  rise,  and  flow  to 
the  Pacific  or  the  Mississippi. 

Various  obstacles  delayed  our  departure 
until  the  morning  of  the  29th,  when  we  com- 
menced our  long  voyage ;  and  at  the  close  of  a 
day,  rendered  disagreeably  cold  by  incessant 
rain,  encamped  about  four  miles  bey^rd  th° 
frontier,  on  the  verge  of  the  great  prairies. 

Resuming  our  joriney  on  the  31st,  after 
the  delay  of  a  da'/  to  complete  our  equip- 
ment and  furnis)»  ourselves  with  some  of 
the  comforts  of  jivilized  life,  we  encamped 
in  the  evening  it  Elm  Grove,  in  company 
with  several  en:  igrant  wagons,  constituting 
a  party  which  wiis  proceeding  to  Upper  Cal- 
ifornia, under  tl  e  direction  of  Mr.  J.  B. 
Childs,  of  Missoi  ri.  The  wagons  were  va- 
riously freighted  with  goods,  furniture,  and 


farming  utensils,  containing  among  other 
things  an  entire  set  of  machirjery  for  a  mil] 
which  Mr.  Childs  designed  erecting  on  tht 
waters  of  tha  Sacramento  rifer  emptying 
into  the  bay  of  San  Francisco. 

We  were  joined  here  by  Mr.  William 
Gilpin,  of  Missouri,  who,  intending  this 
year  to  visit  the  settlements  in  Oregon,  had 
been  invited  to  accompany  us,  and  proved 
a  useful  and  agreeable  addition  to  the  par- 
ty. From  this  encampment,  our  route  un- 
til the  3d  of  June  wai  nearly  the  same  as 
that  described  to  you  in  1842.  Trains  of 
wagons  were  almost  constantly  in  sight; 
giving  to  the  road  a  populous  and  animated 
appearance,  although  the  greater  portion  of 
the  emigrants  were  collected  at  the  cross- 
ing,  or  already  on  their  march  beyond  the 
Kansas  river. 

Leaving  at  the  ford  the  usual  emigrant 
road  to  the  mountains,  we  continued  our 
route  along  the  southern  side  of  the  Kan- 
sas,  where  we  found  the  country  much  more 
broken  than  on  the  northern  side  of  the 
river,  and  where  our  progress  was  much 
delayed  by  the  numerous  small  streams, 
which  obliged  us  to  make  frequent  bridges, 
On  the  morning  of  the  4th,  we  crossed  a 
handsome  stream,  called  by  the  Indians  Ot- 
ter creek,  about  130  feet  wide,  where  a  flat 
stratum  of  limestone,  which  forms  the  bed, 
made  an  excellent  ford.  We  met  here  a 
small  party  of  Kansas  and  Delaware  In 
dians,  the  latter  returning  from  a  hunting 
and  trapping  expedition  on  the  upper  waters 
of  the  river  ;  and  on  the  heights  above  were 
five  or  six  Kansas  women,  engaged  in  dig. 
ging  prairie  potatoes,  (psoralea  esculenta.) 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  6th,  while  busily 
engaged  in  crossing  a  wooded  stream,  we 
were  thrown  into  a  little  confusion  by  the 
sudden  arrival  of  Maxwell,  who  entered  the 
camp  at  full  speed  at  the  head  of  a  war 
party  of  Osage  Indians,  with  gay  red  blank- 
ets, and  heads  shaved  to  the  scalp  lock. 
They  had  run  him  a  distance  of  about  nine 
miles,  from  a  creek  on  which  we  had  en- 
camped the  day  previous,  and  to  which  he 
had  returned  in  search  of  a  runaway  horse 
belonging  to  Mr,  Dwight,  which  had  taken 
the  homeward  road,  carrying  with  him  sad- 
dle, bridle,  and  holster  pistols.  The  Osages 
were  probably  ignorant  of  our  strength,  and, 
when  they  cliaigcJ  iuiu  ihc  s^mp,  drove  off 
a  number  of  our  best  horses ;  bui  '>e  were 
fortunately  well  mounted,  and,  after  a  hard 
chase  of  seven  or  eight  miles,  succeeded  in 
recovering  them  all.  This  accident,  which 
occasioned  delay  and  trouble,  and  threatened 
danger  and  loss,  and  broke  down  some  good 
horses  at  the  start,  and  actually  endangered 
the  expedition,  was  a  first  fruit  of  having 
gentlemen  in  company — very  estimable,  to 
be  sure,  but  who  are  not  trained  to  the  car* 


[184S 


1849.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARKATIVE. 


57 


among  othei 

irjery  for  a  mill 

erecting  on  tiit 

rifer  emptying 

fco. 

r  Mr.  William 
intending  this 
in  Oregon,  had 
us,  and  proved 
ition  to  the  par- 
ti our  route  ur>. 
•ly  the  same  ae 
J42.     Trains  of 
antly  in  sight; 
us  and  animated 
eater  portion  of 
!d  at  the  cross- 
rch  beyond  the 

usual  emigrant 
!  continued  our 
ide  of  the  Kaii- 
ntry  much  more 
3rn  side  of  the 
ress  was  much 
small  streams, 
equent  bridges, 
1,  we  crossed  a 
the  Indians  Ot- 
,de,  where  a,  flat 
forms  the  bed, 
We  met  here  a 
i  Delaware  In 
from  a  hunting 
the  upper  waters 
ghts  above  were 
engaged  in  dig- 
•alea  csculenta.) 
th,  while  busily 
)ded  stream,  we 
ionfusion  by  the 
who  entered  the 
head  of  a  var 
1  gay  red  blank- 
the  scalp  lock. 
!e  of  about  nine 
ich  we  had  en- 
md  to  which  he 
I  runaway  horse 
'hich  had  tnkon 
g  with  him  sad- 
Is.  The  Osages 
jr  strength,  and, 
s^mp,  drove  off 
s ;  but  \^p.  were 
md,  after  a  hard 
33,  succeeded  in 
accident,  which 
I,  and  threatened 
lown  some  good 
ally  endangered 
fruit  of  having 
ry  estimable,  to 
ined  to  the  cart 


and  vigilance  and  self-dependence  which 
Boeh  an  ex;)edition  required,  and  who  are 
not  subject  to  the  orders  which  enforce  at- 
tention and  exertion.     We  arrived  on  the 
8th  at  the  mouth  of  the  Smoky-hill  fork, 
which  is  the  principal  southern  branch  of 
the  Kansas ;  forming  here,  by  its  junction 
with  the  Republican,  or  northern  branch, 
the  main  Kansas  river.     Neither   stream 
was  fordable,  and  the  necessity  of  making 
I  raftj  together  with  bad  weather,  detained 
ui  here  until  the  morning  of  the  11th;  when 
we  resumed  our  journey  along  the  Republi- 
can fork.     By  our  observations,  the  junc- 
tion of  the  streams  is  in  latitude  39^  03'  38 ", 
longitude  96^^  24'  56",  and  at  an  elevation 
of  926  feet  above  the  gulf  of  Mexico.     For 
several  days  we  continued  to  travel  along 
the  Republican,  through  a  country  beauti- 
fully watered  with  numerous  streams,  hand- 
somely timbered;    and  rarely  an  incident 
occurred   to  vary  the  monotonous  resem- 
blance which  one  day  on  the  prairies  here 
bears  to  another,  and  which  scarcely  ro 
quire  a  particular  description.     Now  and 
then,  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  small  herd 
->f  elk ;   and  occasionally  a  band  of  ante- 
lopes, whose  curiosity  sometimes  brought 
them  within  rifle  range,  would  circle  round 
us,  and  then  scour  off  into  the  prairies. 
As  we  advanced  on  our  road,  these  became 
more  frequent ;  but  as  we  journeyed  on  the 
line  usually  followed  by  the  trapping  and 
hunting  parties  of  the  Kansas  and  Dela- 
ware Indians,  game  of  every  kind  continued 
very  shy  and  wild.     The  bottoms  which 
form  the  immediate  valley  of  the  main  riv- 
er were  generally  about  three  miles  wide ; 
having  a  rich  soil  of  black  vegetable  mould, 
and,  for  a  prairie  country,  well  interspersed 
with  wood.     The  country  was  everywhere 
covered    with   a   considerable    variety   of 
grasses,  occasionally  poor  and  thin,  but  far 
more  frequently  luxuriant  and  rich.     We 
had  been  gradually  and  regularly  ascending 
in  our  progress  westward,  and  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  14th,  when  we  encamped  on  a 
little  creek  in  the  valley  of  the  Republican, 
265  miles  by  our  travelling  road  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Kansas,  we  were  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  1,520  feet.     That'  part  of  the  river 
where  we  were  now  encamped  is  called  by 
the  Indians  the  Big  Timber.     Hitherto  our 
route   had   been   laborious   and  extremely 
glow,  the  unusually  wet  spring  and  constant 
rain  having  so  saturated  the  whole  country 
that  it  was  necessary  to  bridge  every  water- 
course, and,  for  days  together,  our  usual 
march   averaged   only   five   or  six  miles. 
Finding  that  at  such  a  rate  of  travel  it 
would  be  impossible  to  comply  with  your 
instructions,  I  determined  at  this  place  to 
divide  the  party,  and,  leaving  Mr.  Fitzpat- 
rick  with  twenty-five  men  in  charge  of  the 


provisions  and  heavier  baggage  of  the  camp, 
to  proceed  myself  in  advance,  with  a  light 
party  of  fifteen  men,  taking  with  me  the 
howitzer  and  the  light  wagon  which  carried 
the  instruments. 

Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  the  16th, 
the  parties  separated  ;  and,  bearing  a  little 
out  from  the  river,  with  a  view  of  heading 
some  of  the  numerous  affluents,  after  a  few 
hours'  travel  over  somewhat  broken  ground, 
we  entered  upon  an  extensive  and  high  level 
prairie,  on  which  we  encamped  towards 
evening  at  a  little  stream,  where  a  single 
dry  cotton-wood  afforded  the  necessary  fuel 
for  preparing  supper.  Among  a  variety  of 
grasses  which  to-day  made  their  first  ap- 
pearance, I  noticed  bunch-grass,  (festuca,) 
and  buffalo-grass,  (sesleria  dactyloides.) 
Amorpha  canescens  (lead  plant)  continued 
the  characteristic  plant  of  the  country,  and 
a  narrow-leaved  lathyrus  occurred  during 
the  morning  in  beautiful  patches.  Sida  coc- 
cinea  occurred  frequently,  with  a  psoralia 
near  psoralia  floribtmda,  and  a  number  of 
plants  not  hitherto  met,  just  verging  into 
bloom.  The  water  on  which  we  had  en- 
camped belonged  to  Solomon's  fork  of 
the  Smoky-hill  river,  along  whose  trib- 
utaries we  continued  to  travel  for  several 
days. 

The  country  afforded  us  an  excellent 
road,  the  route  being  generally  over  high 
and  very  level  prairies ;  and  we  met  with 
no  other  delay  than  being  frequently  obliged 
to  bridge  one  of  the  numerous  streams, 
which  were  well  timbered  with  ash,  elm, 
Cottonwood,  and  a  very  large  oak — the  lat- 
ter being  occasionally  five  and  six  feet  in 
diameter,  with  a  spreading  summit.  Sida 
coccinea  is  very  frequent  in  vermilion-col- 
ored patches  on  the  high  and  low  prairie ; 
and  I  remarked  that  it  has  a  very  pleasant 
perfume. 

The  wild  sensitive  plant  {schrankia  an- 
gustata)  occurs  frequently,  generally  on  the 
dry  prairies,  in  valleys  of  streams,  and  fre- 
quently on  the  broken  prairie  bank.  I  re- 
mark that  the  leaflets  close  instantly  to  a 
very  light  touch.  Amorpha,  with  the  sam» 
psoralea,  and  a  dwarf  species  of  lupinus, 
are  the  characteristic  plants. 

On  the  19th,  in  the  afternoon,  we  crosses 
the  Pawnee  road  to  the  Arkansas,  and  trav- 
elling a  few  miles  onward,  the  monotony  of 
the  prairies  was  suddenly  dispelled  by  the 
appearance  of  five  or  six  buffalo  bulls,  form- 
ing a  vanguard  of  immense  herds,  among 
which  we  were  travelling  a  few  days  after- 
wards. Prairie  dogs  were  seen  for  the  first 
time  during  the  day  ;  and  we  had  the  good 
fortune  to  obtain  an  antelope  for  supper. 
Our  elevation  had  now  increased  to  1,900 
feet.  Sida  coccinea  was  a  characteristic  oa 
the  creek  bottoms,  and  buffalo  grass  is  be- 


5« 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1843. 


coming  abundant  on  the  higher  parts  of  the 
ridges. 

June  21. — During  the  forenoon  we  trav- 
elled up  a  branch  of  the  creek  on  which 
we  had  encamped,  in  a  broken  country, 
where,  however,  the  dividing  ridges  always 
aflbrded  a  good  r'^ad-  r'iants  .v«re  few  ; 
and  with  the  short  sward  of  the  buffalo 
grass,  which  now  prevailed  everywhere, 
giving  to  the  prairies  a  smooth  and  mossy 
appearance,  were  mingled  frequent  patches 
of  a  beautiful  red  grass,  (aristida  pollens,) 
which  had  made  its  appearance  only  within 
the  last  few  days. 

We  halted  to  noon  at  a  solitary  cotton- 
wood  in  a  hollow,  near  which  was  killed  the 
first  buffalo,  a  large  old  bull. 

Antelope  appeared  in  bands  during  the 
day.  Crossing  here  to  the  affluents  of  the 
Itepublican,  we  encamped  on  a  fork,  about 
forty  feet  wide  and  one  foot  deep,  flowing 
with  a  swift  current  over  a  sandy  bed,  and 
well  wooded  with  ash-leaved  maple,  {ne- 
gundo  fraxinifoHum,)  elm,  cotton-wood,  and 
a  few  white  oaks.  We  were  visited  in  the 
evening  by  a  very  violent  storm,  accompa- 
nied by  wind,  lightning,  am^  thunder  ;  a  cold 
rain  falling  in  torrents.  Accurding  to  the 
barometer,  our  elevation  was  2,130  feet 
above  the  gulf. 

At  noon,  on  the  23d,  we  descended  into 
the  valley  of  a  principal  fork  of  the  Re- 
publican, a  beautiful  stream  with  a  dense 
border  of  wood,  consisting  principally  of 
varieties  of  ash,  forty  feet  wide  and  four 
feet  deep.  It  was  musical  with  the  notes 
of  many  birds,  which,  from  the  vast  expanse 
of  silent  prairie  around,  seemed  all  to  have 
collected  here.  We  continued  during  the 
afternoon  our  route  along  the  river,  which 
was  populous  with  prairie  dogs,  (the  bot- 
toms being  entirely  occupied  with  their  vil- 
lages,) and  late  in  the  evening  encamped  on 
its  banks.  The  prevailing  timber  is  a  blue- 
foliaged  ash,  {/raxinus,  near  F.  Ameri- 
cana,) and  ash-leaved  maple.  With  these 
were  f raxinus  Americana,  cotton-wood,  and 
long-leaved  willow.  We  gave  to  this  stream 
ihe  name  of  Prairie  Dog  river.  Elevation 
2,350  feet.  Our  road  on  the  25th  lay  over 
high  smooth  ridges,  3,100  feet  above  the 
sea ;  buffalo  in  great  numbers,  absolutely 
covering  the  face  of  the  country.  At  even- 
ing we  encamped  within  a  few  miles  of  the 
main  Republican,  on  a  little  creek,  where 
the  air  was  fragrant  with  the  perfume  of 
artemisia  filifolia,  which  we  here  saw  for 
the  first  time,  and  which  was  now  in  bloom. 
Shortly  after  leaving  our  encampment  on 
the  26th,  we  found  suddenly  that  the  nature 
of  the  country  had  entirely  changed.  Baro 
•and  hills  everywhere  surrounded  us  in  the 
undulating  ground  along  which  we  were 
moving ;  and  the  plants  peculiar  to  a  sandy 


soil  made  their  appearance  in  abundanec. 
A  few  miles  further  we  entered  the  valla* 
of  a  large  stream,  afterwards  known  to  ba 
the  Republican  fork  of  the  Kansas,  whosf 
shallow  waters,  with  a  depth  'f  only  a  few 
inches,  were  spread  out  over  a  bed  of  yeN 
lowish  white  sand  600  yar  ride.  With 
the  exception  of  one  or  two  *  int  and  de- 
tached groves,  no  timber  of  ny  kind  was 
to  be  seen  ;  and  the  features  of  the  country 
assumed  a  desert  character,  with  which  the 
broad  river,  struggling  for  existence  among 
quicksands  along  the  treeless  banks,  was 
strikingly  in  keeping.  On  the  opposite  side, 
the  broken  ridges  assumed  almost  a  moun- 
tainous  appearance  ;  and  fording  the  stream, 
we  continued  on  our  course  among  these 
ridges,  and  encamped  late  in  the  evening  at 
a  little  pond  of  very  bad  water,  from  which 
we  drove  away  a  herd  of  buffalo  that  were 
standing  in  and  about  it.  Our  encampment 
this  evening  was  3,500  feet  above  the  sea. 
We  travelled  now  for  several  days  through 
a  broken  and  dry  sandy  region,  about  4,000 
feet  above  the  sea,  where  there  were  no 
running  streams ;  and  some  anxiety  was 
constantly  felt  on  account  of  the  uncertainty 
of  water,  which  was  only  to  be  found  in 
small  lakes  that  occurred  occasionally  among 
the  hills.  The  discovery  of  these  always 
brought  pleasure  to  the  camp,  as  around 
them  were  generally  green  flats,  which  af- 
forded abundant  pasturage  for  our  animals ; 
and  here  were  usually  collected  herds  of  the 
buffalo,  which  now  were  scattered  over  ail 
the  country  in  countless  numbers. 

The  soil  of  bare  and  hot  sands  supported 
a  varied  and  exuberant  growth  of  plants, 
which  were  much  farther  advanced  than  we 
had  previously  found  them,  and  whose  showy 
bloom  somewhat  relieved  the  appearance  of 
general  sterility.  Crossing  the  summit  of  an 
elevated  and  continuous  range  of  rolling 
hills,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  of  June, 
we  found  ourselves  overlooking  a  broad  and 
misty  valley,  where,  about  ten  miles  distant, 
and  1,000  feet  below  us,  the  South  fork  of 
the  Platte  was  rolling  magnificently  along, 
swollen  with  the  waters  of  the  melting 
snows.  It  was  in  strong  and  refreshing 
contract  with  the  parched  country  from 
which  we  aad  just  issued ;  and  when,  at 
night,  the  oroad  expanse  of  water  grew  in- 
distinct, it  almost  seemed  that  we  had 
pitched  our  tents  on  the  shore  of  tbs 
sea. 

Travelling  along  up  the  valley  of  the 
river,  here  4,000  feet  above  the  sea,  in  the 
afternoon  of  July  1,  we  caugh'.  a  far  and 
uncertain  view  of  a  faint  blue  mass  in  th« 
west,  as  the  sun  sank  behind  it ;  and  from 
our  camp  in  the  morning,  at  the  mouth  of 
Bijou,  Long's  peak  and  the  neighboring 
mountains  stood  out  into  the  sky,  grand  and 


1841.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


0J 


in  abundaiMt. 
ered  the  valley 
Is  known  to  b« 
Kansas,  whosf 
1  "f  only  a  fe« 
T  a  bed  of  ye|. 
ride.     With 
'    f  mt  and  de- 
ny kind  wa8 
of  the  country 
with  which  the 
xistence  among 
!ss  banks,  was 
e  opposite  side, 
almost  a  moun> 
ing  the  stream, 
among  these 
the  evening  at 
ter,  from  which 
iffalo  that  were 
ur  encampment 
.  above  the  sea. 
Ell  days  through 
on,  about  4,000 
there  were  no 
e  anxiety  was 
the  uncertainty 
to  be  found  in 
isionally  among 
if  these  always 
imp,  as  around 
flats,  which  af- 
6r  our  animals ; 
ted  herds  of  the 
ittered  over  all 
ibers. 

sands  supported 

wth  of  plants, 

vanced  than  we 

id  whose  showy 

i  appearance  of 

lie  summit  of  an 

nge  of   rolling 

!  30th  of  June, 

ing  a  broad  and 

n  miles  distant, 

South  fork  of 

lificently  along, 

if  the  melting 

and  refreshing 

country   from 

and  when,  at 

water  grew  in- 

that   we   had 

shore    of   tb« 

Talley  of  the 
the  sea,  in  the 
igh'.  a  far  and 
ue  mass  in  the 
d  it ;  and  from 
:  the  mouth  of 
e  neighboring 
sky,  grand  and 


luminously  white,  covered  to  their  bases 
ffith  glittering  snow. 

On  the  evening  of  the  3d,  as  we  were 
journeying  along  tiie  partially  overflowed 
bottoms  of  the  Platte,  where  our  passage 
stirred  up  swarms  of  mosquitoes,  we  came 
unexpectedly  on  an  Indian,  who  was 
perched  u'  in  a  bluflf,  curiously  watching  the 
movements  of  our  caravan.  He  belonged 
to  a  village  of  Oglallah  Sioux,  who  had  lost 
ill  their  animals  in  the  severity  of  the  pre- 
ceding winter,  and  were  now  on  their  way 
up  the  Bijou  fork  to  beg  horses  from  the 
Arapahoes,  who  were  hunting  buifalo  at  the 
head  of  that  river.  Several  came  into  our 
camp  at  noon  ;  and,  as  they  were  hungry,  as 
usual,  they  were  provided  with  buflfalo  meat, 
of  which  the  hunters  had  brought  in  an 
abundant  supply. 

About  noon,  on  the  4th  of  July,  we  ar- 
rived at  the  fort,  where  Mr.  St.  Vrain  re- 
ceived us  with  his  customary  kindness,  and 
invited  us  to  join  him  in  a  feast  which  had 
been  prepared  in  honor  of  the  day. 

Our  animals  were  very  much  worn  out, 
and  our  stock  of  provisions  entirely  ex- 
hausted when  we  arrived  at  the  fort ;  but  I 
vas  disappointed  in  my  hope  of  obtaining 
relief,  as  I  found  it  in  a  very  impoverished 
condition  ;  and  we  were  able  to  procure  on- 
ly a  little  unbolted  Mexican  flour,  and  some 
salt,  with  a  few  pounds  of  powder  and  lead. 

As  regarded  provisions,  it  did  not  much 
matter  in  a  country  where  rarely  the  day 
passed  without  seeing  some  kind  of  game, 
and  where  it  was  frequently  abundant.  It 
was  a  rare  thing  to  lie  down  hungry,  and 
we  had  already  learned  to  think  bread  a 
luxury  ;  but  we  could  not  proceed  without 
animals,  and  our  own  were  not  capable  of 
prosecuting  the  journey  beyond  the  moun- 
tains without  ralief. 

I  had  been  informed  that  a  large  number 
(.f  mules  had  recently  arrived  at  Taos,  from 
Upper  California;  and  as  our  friend,  Mr. 
Maxwell,  was  about  to  continue  his  journey 
to  that  place,  where  a  portion  of  his  family 
resided,  I  engaged  him  to  purchase  for  me 
10  or  12  mules,  with  the  understanding  that 
he  should  pack  them  with  provisions  and 
other  necessaries,  and  meet  me  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Fontaine-qui-bouiti  on  the  Arkansas 
river,  to  which  point  I  would  be  led  in  the 
course  of  the  survey. 

Agreeably  to  his  own  request,  and  in  the 
eohvictiun  that  his  habits  of  life  and  educa- 
tion had  not  qualified  him  to  endure  the  hard 
life  of  a  voyageur,  I  discharged  here  one  of 
my  part/,  Mr.  Oscar  Sarpy,  having  furnished 
him  with  arms  and  means  of  transportation 
to  Fort  Laramie,  where  he  would  be  in  the 
line  of  caravans  returning  to  the  States. 

At  daybreak,  on  the  6th  of  July,  Maxwell 
WM  on  his  way  to  Taos ;  and  a  few  hours 


after  we  also  had  recommenced  our  journey 
up  the  Platte,  which  was  continuously  tim- 
bered with  cotton-wood  and  willow,  on  a 
generally  sandy  soil.  Passing  on  the  way 
the  remains  of  two  abandoned  forts,  (one  uf 
which,  however,  was  still  in  good  condition,) 
we  reached,  in  10  miles.  Fort  Lancaster, 
the  trading  establishment  of  Mr.  Lupton. 
His  post  was  beginning  to  assume  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  comfortable  farm  :  stock,  hogs, 
and  cattle,  were  ranging  about  on  the  prai> 
rie  ;  there  were  different  kinds  of  poultry  ; 
and  there  was  the  wreck  of  a  promising 
garden,  in  which  a  considerable  variety  of 
vegetables  had  been  in  a  flourishing  condi- 
tion, but  it  had  been  almost  entirely  ruined 
by  the  recent  high  waters.  I  remained  to 
spend  with  him  an  agreeable  hour,  and  set 
ofl!'  in  a  cold  storm  of  rain,  which  was  ac- 
companied with  violent  thunder  and  light 
ning.  We  encamped  immediately  on  the 
river,  16  miles  from  St.  Vrain's.  Several 
Arapahoes,  on  their  way  to  the  village 
which  was  encamped  a  few  miles  above  us, 
passed  by  the  camp  in  the  course  of  the 
afternoon.  Night  set  in  stormy  and  cold, 
with  heavy  and  continuous  rain,  which  lasted 
until  morning. 

July  7. — We  made  this  morning  an  early 
start,  continuing  to  travel  up  the  Platte  ; 
and  in  a  few  miles  frequent  bands  of  horses 
and  mules,  scattered  for  several  miles  round 
about,  indicated  our  approach  to  the  Arapalio 
village,  which  we  found  encamped  in  a  beau- 
tiful bottom,  and  consisting  of  about  160 
lodges.  It  appeared  extremely  populous, 
with  a  great  number  of  children  ;  a  circum- 
stance which  indicated  a  regular  supply  of 
the  means  of  subsistence.  The  chiefs,  who 
were  gathered  together  at  the  farther  end  of 
the  village,  received  us  (as  probably  stran- 
gers are  always  received  to  whom  they  desire 
to  show  respect  or  regard)  by  throwing  their 
arms  around  our  necks  and  embracing  us. 

It  required  some  skill  in  horsemanship  to 
keep  the  saddle  during  the  performance  of 
this  ceremony,  as  our  American  horses  ex- 
hibited for  them  the  same  fear  they  have  for 
a  bear  or  any  other  wild  animal.  Having 
very  few  goods  with  me,  I  was  only  able 
to  make  them  a  meager  present,  accounting 
for  the  poverty  of  the  gift  by  explaining  that 
my  goods  had  been  left  with  the  wagons  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  who  was  well 
known  to  them  as  the  White  Head,  or  the 
Broken  Hand.  I  saw  here,  as  I  had  re- 
marked in  an  Arapaho  village  the  preceding 
year,  near  the  lodges  of  the  chiefs,  tall  tri- 
pods of  white  poles  supporting  their  spears 
and  shields,  which  showed  it  to  be  a  regular 
custom. 

Though  disappointed  in  obtaining  the 
presents  which  had  been  evidently  expected, 
they  behaved  very  courteously,  and,  aftei 


60 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841 


111  i 

li! 


a  little  conversation,  I  Icil  them,  and,  con- 
tinuing on  up  the  river,  halted  to  noon  on 
the  bluflf,  as  the  bottoms  are  almost  inunda- 
ted ;  continuing  in  the  afternoon  our  route 
along  the  mountains,  which  were  dark, 
misty,  and  shrouded — threatening  a  storm  ; 
the  snow  peaks  sometimes  glittering  through 
the  clouds  beyond  the  first  ridge. 

We  surprised  a  grizzly  bear  sauntering 
along  the  river  ;  which,  raising  himself  upon 
his  hind  legs,  took  a  deliberate  survey  of  us, 
that  did  not  appear  very  satisfactory  to  him, 
and  he  scrambled  into  the  river  and  swam 
to  the  opposite  side.  We  halted  for  the 
night  a  little  above  Cherry  creek  ;  the  even- 
ing cloudy,  with  many  mosquitoes.  Some 
iiidifTerent  observations  placed  the  camp  in 
latitude  39°  43'  53",  and  chronometric  lon- 
gitude 105°  21'  34". 

July  8. — We  continued  to-day  to  travel 
up  the  Platte  ;  the  morning  pleasant,  with  a 
prospect  of  fairer  weather.  During  the  fore- 
noon our  way  lay  over  a  more  broken  coun- 
try, with  a  gravelly  and  sandy  surface  ;  al- 
though the  immediate  bottom  of*  the  river 
was  a  good  soil,  of  a  dark  sandy  mould,  rest- 
ing upon  a  stratum  of  large  pebbles,  or  rolled 
stones,  as  at  Laramie  fork.  On  our  right, 
and  apparently  very  near,  but  probably  8  or 
10  miles  distant,  and  two  or  three  thousand 
feet  above  us,  ran  the  first  range  of  the 
mountains,  like  a  dark  corniced  line,  in  clear 
contrast  with  the  great  snowy  chain  which, 
immediately  beyond,  rose  glittering  five 
thousand  feet  above  them.  We  caught  this 
morning  a  view  of  Pile's  peak  ;  but  it  ap- 
peared for  a  moment  only,  as  clouds  rose 
early  over  the  mountains,  and  shrouded  them 
in  mist  and  rain  all  the  day.  In  the  first 
range  were  visible,  as  at  the  Red  Buttes  on 
the  North  fork,  very  lofty  escarpments  of 
red  rock.  While  travelling  through  this 
region,  I  remarked  that  always  in  the  morn- 
ing the  lofty  peaks  were  visible  and  bright, 
but  very  soon  small  white  clouds  began  to 
settle  around  them — brewing  thicker  and 
darker  as  the  day  advanced,  until  the  after- 
noon, when  the  thunder  began  to  roll ;  and 
invariably  at  evening  we  had  more  or  less 
of  a  thunder  storm.  At  11  o'clock,  and  21 
miles  from  St.  Vrain's  fort,  we  reached  a 
point  in  this  southern  fork  of  the  Platte, 
where  the  stream  is  divided  into  three  forks ; 
two  of  these  (one  of  them  being  much  the 
largest)  issuing  directly  from  the  mountains 
on  the  west,  and  forming,  with  the  eastern- 
most branch,  a  river  of  the  plains.  The 
elevation  of  this  point  is  about  5,500  feet 
above  the  sea  ;  this  river  falling  2,800  feet 
in  a  distance  of  316  miles,  to  its  junction 
with  the  North  fork  of  the  Platte.  In  this 
estimate,  the  elevation  of  the  junction  is 
aasumed  as  given  by  our  barometrical  ob- 
Mrrations  in  1842. 


On  the  easternmost  branch,  up  which  wa 
took  our  way,  we  first  came  among  tho 
pines  growing  on  the  top  of  a  very  high 
bank,  and  where  we  halted  on  it  to  noon; 
quaking  asp  (populus  tremuloidea)  wu 
mixed  with  the  cotton-wood,  and  there  were 
excellent  grass  and  rushes  for  the  animals. 

During  the  morning  there  occurred  man; 
beautiful  flowers,  which  we  had  not  hithRrto 
met.  Among  them,  the  common  blue  flower- 
ing flax  made  its  first  appearance  ;  and  a  tall 
and  handsome  species  o(  gilia,  with  slender 
scarlet  flowers,  which  appeared  yesterday 
for  the  first  time,  was  very  frequent  to-day. 

We  had  found  very  little  game  since 
leaving  the  fort,  and  provisions  began  to  get 
unpleasantly  scant,  as  we  had  had  no  meat 
for  several  days ;  but  towards  sundown, 
when  we  had  already  made  up  our  minds  te 
sleep  another  night  without  supper.  La- 
jeunesse  had  tho  good  fortAnc  to  kill  a  fine 
deer,  which  he  found  feeding  in  a  hollow 
near  by ;  and  as  the  r.'^in  began  to  fall. 
threatening  an  unpleasant  night,  we  hurried 
to  secure  a  comfortable  camp  in  the  timber. 

To-night  the  camp  fires,  girdled  with  ap- 
polas  of  fine  venison,  looked  cheerful  in 
spite  of  the  stormy  weather. 

July  9. — Oil  account  of  the  low  state  of 
our  provisions  and  the  scarcity  of  game,  I 
determined  to  vary  our  route,  and  proceed 
several  camps  to  the  eastward,  in  the  hope 
of  falling  in  with  the  bufllvlo.  This  route 
along  the  dividing  grounds  between  the 
South  fork  of  the  Platte  and  the  Arkansas, 
would  also  aflford  some  additional  geograph- 
ical information.  This  morning,  therefore, 
we  turned  to  the  eastward,  along  the  upper 
waters  of  the  stream  on  which  we  had  en- 
camped, entering  a  country  of  picturesque 
and  varied  scenery  ;  broken  into  rocky  hills 
of  singular  shapes ;  little  valleys,  with  pure 
crystal  water,  here  leaping  swiftly  along, 
and  there  losing  itself  in  the  sands  ;  green 
spots  of  luxuriant  grass,  flowers  of  all  colors, 
and  timber  of  different  kinds — every  thing 
to  give  it  a  varied  beauty,  except  game.  To 
one  of  these  remarkably  shaped  hills,  hav- 
ing on  the  summit  a  circular  flat  rock  two 
or  three  hundred  yards  in  circumference, 
some  one  gave  the  name  of  Poundcake, 
which  it  has  been  permitted  to  retain,  as  our 
hungry  people  seemed  to  think  it  a  very 
agreeable  comparison.  In  the  afternoon  a 
bufl!a]o  bull  was  killed,  and  we  encamped  on 
a  small  stream,  near  the  road  which  runs 
from  St.  Vrain's  fort  to  the  Arkansat. 

July  10. — Snow  fell  heavily  on  the  moun- 
tains during  the  night,  and  Pike's  peak  this 
morning  is  luminous  and  grand,  covered 
from  the  summit,  as  low  down  as  we  can 
see,  with  glittering  white.  Leaving  the 
encampment  at  6  o'clock,  we  continued  our 
easterly  course  over  a  rolling  countrj,  near 


[1841 

h,  up  which  wa 
iine  among  tho 
of  a  very  high 
on  it  to  noon; 
emuloidcs)  wu 
,  and  there  were 
for  the  animals. 
3  occurred  man; 
had  not  hitherto 
mon  blue  flovver- 
rance ;  and  a  tall 
Ha,  with  slender 
sared  yesterday 
frequent  to-day. 
tie  game  since 
ons  began  tu  get 
lad  had  no  meat 
vards  sundown, 
up  our  minds  te 
lut  supper,  La- 
Sne  to  kill  a  fine 
ing  in  a  hollow 
began  to  fall. 
ight,  we  hurried 
ip  in  the  timber, 
girdled  with  ap- 
ked   cheerful  in 

the  low  state  of 
rcity  of  game,  I 
;e,  and  proceed 
ard,  in  the  hope 
lo.  This  route 
Is  between  the 
id  the  Arkansas, 
tional  geograph- 
rning,  therefone, 
along  the  upper 
hich  we  had  en- 
{  of  picturesque 
I  into  rocky  hilla 
lUeys,  with  pure 
Gf  swiftly  along, 
he  sands ;  green 
^ers  of  all  colors, 
ids — every  thing 
xcept  game.  To 
[laped  hills,  hav- 
ar  flat  rock  two 
I  circumference, 

of  Poundcake, 
I  to  retain,  as  our 
think  if  a  very 
the  afternoon  a 
we  encamped  on 
oad  which  runs 
Arkansas, 
ily  on  the  moun- 
Pike's  peak  this 

grand,  covered 
own  as  we  can 
:.  Leaving  the 
re  continued  our 
\g  countrj,  iMtr 


1843.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


m 


to  the  high  ridges,  which  are  generally 
rough  and  rocky,  with  a  coarse  conglomerate 
displayed  in  masses,  and  covered  with  pines. 
This  rock  is  very  friable,  and  it  is  undoubt- 
odly  from  its  decomposition  that  the  prairies 
derive  their  sandy  and  gravelly  formation. 
In  6  miles  we  crossed  a  head  water  of  the 
Kioway  river,  on  which  we  found  a  strong 
furt  and  coral  that  had  been  built  in  the 
ipring,  and  halted  to  noon  on  the  principal 
branch  of  tho  river.  During  the  morning 
our  route  led  over  a  dark  vegetable  mould, 
mixed  with  sand  and  gravel,  the  character- 
ibtlc  plant  being  esparcette,  {onohrychis  sali- 
va,) a  species  of  clover  which  is  much  used 
in  certain  parts  of  Germany  for  pasturage 
of  stock — principally  hogs.  It  is  sown  on 
rooky  waste  ground,  which  would  otherwise 
be  useless,  and  grows  very  luxuriantly,  re- 
(luiring  only  a  renewal  of  the  seed  about 
once  in  fifteen  years.  Its  abundance  here 
greatly  adds  to  the  pastoral  value  of  this  re- 
gion. A  species  of  antennaria  in  flower 
wiS  vpry  common  along  the  line  of  road, 
jnd  the  creeks  were  timbered  with  willow 
ind  pine.  We  encamped  on  Bijou's  fork, 
,he  water  of  which,  unlike  the  clear  streams 
ttP  had  previously  crossed,  is  of  a  whitish 
?()ior,  and  the  soil  of  the  bottom  a  very 
laril,  tough  clay.  There  was  a  prairie  dog 
fillage  on  the  bottom,  and,  in  the  endeavor 
.u  unearth  one  of  the  little  animals,  we  la- 
ooied  ineffectually  in  the  tough  clay  until 
ilaik.  After  descending,  with  a  slight  in- 
clination, until  it  had  gone  the  depth  of  two 
feet,  the  hole  suddenly  turned  at  a  sharp 
angle  in  another  direction  for  one  more  foot 
in  depth,  when  it  again  turned,  taking  an 
ascending  direction  to  the  next  nearest  hole. 
[  have  no  doubt  that  all  their  little  habita- 
tions communicate  with  each  other.  The 
(rreater  part  of  the  people  were  sick  to-day, 
and  I  was  inclined  to  attribute  their  indis- 
position to  the  meat  of  the  bull  which  had 
been  killed  the  previous  day. 

July  11. — There  were  no  indications  of 
buffalo  having  been  recently  in  the  neigh- 
borhood ;  and,  unwilling  to  travel  farther 
eastward,  I  turned  this  morning  to  the 
southward,  up  the  valley  of  Bijou.  Espar- 
cette occurred  universally,  and  among  the 
plants  on  the  river  I  noticed,  for  the  first 
time  during  this  journey,  a  few  small  bushes 
of  the  absinthe  of  the  voyageurs,  which  is 
commonly  used  for  fire-wood,  (artemisia 
tridentata.)  Yesterday  and  to-day  the  road 
has  been  ornamented  with  the  showy  bloom 
of  a  beautiful  lupinus,  a  characteristic  in 
many  parts  of  the  mountain  region,  on 
which  were  generally  great  numbers  of  an 
insect  with  very  bright  colors,  {litta  vesica- 
toria.) 

As  we  were  riding  quietly  along,  eagerly 
searching  nyexy  hollow  ia  search  of  game 


we  discovered,  at  a  little  distance  in  tha 
prairie,  a  large  grizzly  bear,  so  busily  en- 
gaged in  digging  roots  that  he  did  nut  per- 
ceive us  until  we  wero  galloping  down  a 
little  hill  fifty  yards  from  him,  when  he 
charged  upon  us  with  such  sudden  energy, 
that  several  of  us  came  near  losing  our  sad- 
dles. Being  wounded,  he  commenced  re- 
treating to  a  rocky  piny  ridge  near  by, 
from  which  we  were  not  ablf  to  cut  him  oil", 
and  we  entered  the  timber  with  him.  The 
way  was  very  much  blocked  uj)  with  fallen 
timber  ;  and  we  kept  up  a  running  fight  for 
some  time,  animated  by  the  bear  charging 
among  the  horses.  He  did  not  fall  until 
after  he  had  received  six  rifle  balls,  lie 
was  miserably  poor,  and  added  nothing  to 
our  stock  of  provisions. 

We  followed  the  stream  to  its  head  in  a 
broken  ridge,  which,  according  to  the  ba- 
rometer, was  about  7,500  feet  above  the 
sea.  This  is  a  piny  elevation,  into  which 
the  prairies  are  gathered,  and  from  which 
the  waters  flow,  in  almost  every  direction, 
to  the  Arkansas,  Platte,  and  Kansas  rivers  ; 
the  latter  stream  having  here  its  remotest 
sources.  Although  somewhat  rocky  and 
broken,  and  covered  with  pines,  in  compari- 
son with  the  neighboring  mountains,  it 
scarcely  forms  an  interruption  to  the  great 
prairie  plains  which  sweep  up  to  their  bases. 

We  had  an  excellent  view  of  Pike's  peak 
from  this  camp,  at  the  distance  of  40  miles. 
This  mountain  barrier  presents  itself  to 
travellers  on  the  plains,  which  sweep  almost 
directly  to  its  bases — an  immense  and  com- 
paratively smooth  and  grassy  prairie,  in 
very  strong  contrast  with  the  black  masses 
of  timber,  and  the  glittering  snow  abovo 
them.  With  occasional  exceptions,  com- 
paratively so  very  small  as  not  to  require 
mention,  these  prairies  are  everywhere  cov- 
ered with  a  close  and  vigorous  growth  of  a 
great  variety  of  grasses,  among  which  the 
most  abundant  is  the  buffalo  grass,  {scsleria 
dactyloides.)  Between  the  Platte  and  Ar- 
kansas rivers,  that  part  of  this  region  which 
forms  the  basin  drained  by  the  waters  of  the 
Kansas,  with  which  our  operations  made  us 
more  particularly  acquainted,  is  based  upon 
a  formation  of  calcareous  rocks.  The  soil 
of  all  this  country  is  excellent,  admirably 
adapted  to  agricultural  purposes,  and  would 
support  a  large  agricultural  and  pastoral 
population.  A  glance  at  the  map,  along  our 
several  lines  of  travel,  will  show  you  that 
thii  plain  ia  watered  by  many  streams. 
Throughout  the  western  half  of  the  plain, 
these  are  shallow,  with  sandy  beds,  be- 
coming deeper  as  they  reach  the  richer 
lands  approaching  the  Missouri  river  ;  they 
geuv^rally  have  bottom  lands,  bordered  by 
bluffs  varying  from  50  to  500  feet  in  height. 
In  all  this  region  the  timber  is  entirely  con> 


CAPT,  FREMONT'S  NAUIIATIVE. 


[1843. 


fined  to  the  streams.  In  tho  eastern  half, 
where  the  soil  is  a  deep,  rich,  vegetable 
mould,  retentive  of  rain  and  moisture,  it  is 
of  vigorous  growth,  and  of  many  ditrerent 
kinds  ;  and  throughout  the  western  half  it 
consists  entirely  of  various  species  of  cot- 
ton-wood, which  deserves  to  be  called  the 
tree  of  the  desert — growing  in  sandy  soils, 
where  no  other  tree  will  grow;  pointing  out 
the  existence  of  water,  and  furnishing  to  the 
traveller  fuel,  and  food  fur  his  animals.  Add 
to  this,  that  the  western  border  of  the  plain 
is  occupied  by  the  Sioux,  Arapaho,  and 
Cheyenne  nations,  and  the  Pawnees  and 
other  half-civilized  tribes  in  its  eastern 
limits,  for  whom  the  intermediate  country 
is  a  war-ground,  you  Nvili  have  a  tolerably 
correct  idea  of  the  appearance  and  condition 
of  the  country.  Descending  a  somewhat 
precipitous  and  rocky  hillside  among  the 
pines,  which  rarely  appear  elsewhere  than 
on  the  ridge,  we  encamped  <at  its  foot,  where 
there  were  several  springs,  which  you  will 
find  laid  down  upon  the  map  as  one  of  the 
extreme  sources  of  the  Smoky  Hill  fork  of 
the  Kansas.  From  this  place  the  view  ex- 
tended over  the  Arkansas  valley,  and  the 
Spanish  peaks  in  the  south  beyond.  As  the 
greater  part  of  the  men  continued  sick,  I 
encamped  here  for  the  day,  and  ascertained 
conclusively,  from  experiments  on  myself, 
that  their  illness  was  caused  by  the  meat 
of  the  buffalo  bull. 

On  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  near  the 
camp,  were  several  rock-built  forts,  which 
in  front  were  very  diHlcult  of  approach,  and 
in  the  rear  were  protected  by  a  precipice 
entirely  beyond  the  reach  of  a  rifle  ball. 
The  evening  was  tolerably  clear,  with  a 
temperature  at  sunset  of  63^.  Elevation 
of  the  camp  7,300  feet. 

Turning  the  next  day  to  the  southwest, 
we  reached,  in  the  course  of  the  morning, 
the  wagon  road  to  the  settlements  on  the 
Arkansas  river,  and  encamped  in  the  after- 
noon on  the  Fontaine-qui-bouit  (or  Boiling 
Spring)  river,  where  it  was  50  feet  wide, 
with  a  swift  current.  I  afterwards  found 
that  the  spring  and  river  owe  their  names 
to  the  bubbling  of  the  effervescing  gas  in 
the  former,  and  not  to  the  temperature  of 
the  water,  which  is  cold.  During  the  morn- 
ing a  tall  species  of  gilia,  with  a  slender 
white  flower,  was  characteristic ;  and,  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  day,  another  variety 
of  esparcette,  (wild  clover,)  having  the 
flower  white,  was  equally  so.  We  had  a 
fine  sunset  of  golden  brown ;  and,  in  the 
vening,  a  very  bright  moon,  with  the  near 

ountains,  made  a  beautiful  scene.     Ther- 

ometer,  at  sunset,  was  69",  and  our  eleva- 
tion above  the  sea  5,800  feet. 

July  13. — The  morning  was  clear,  with 
a  northwesterly  breeze,  and  the  thermome- 


ter at  sunrise  at  46^.  There  were  no  clomji 
along  the  mountains,  and  the  morning  aun 
showed  very  clearly  their  rugged  charac 
ter. 

We  resumed  our  journey  very  early  down 
the  river,  following  an  extremely  good  lodge 
trail,  which  issues  by  the  head  of  this  stream 
from  the  bayou  Salade,  a  high  mountain 
valley  behind  Pike's  peak.  The  soil  ulonj, 
the  road  was  sandy  and  gravelly,  and  ilie 
river  well  timbered.  We  halted  to  noon 
under  the  shade  of  some  fine  large  cotton. 
woods,  our  animals  luxuriating  on  rushea 
{equisetum  hyeinale,)  which,  along  this  riv. 
er,  were  remarkably  abundant.  A  varir-i 
of  cactus  made  its  appearance,  and  amonc 
several  strange  plants  were  numerous  and 
beautiful  clusters  of  a  plant  resembling  m\. 
rabilis  jalapa,  with  a  handsome  convolvulus 
I  had  not  hitherto  seen,  {calyxtegia.)  h 
the  afternoon  we  passed  near  the  encamp- 
ment of  a  hunter  ii;imed  Maurice,  who  iiad 
been  out  into  the  plains  in  pursuit  of  buffaJc 
calves,  a  number  of  which  I  saw  among 
some  domestic  cattle  near  his  lodge.  Short- 
ly afterwards,  a  party  of  mountaineers  ga|. 
loped  up  to  us — fine-looking  and  hardy  men, 
dressed  in  skins  and  mounted  on  good  fai 
horses ;  among  them  were  several  Connec- 
ticut men,  a  portion  of  Wyeth's  party,  wiioin 
I  had  seen  the  year  before,  and  others  were 
men  from  the  western  n'aies. 

Continuing  down  the  river,  we  encamped 
at  noon  on  the  14th  at  its  mouth,  on  the 
Arkansas  river.  A  short  distance  above 
our  encampment,  on  the  lefl  bank  of  the 
Arkansas,  is  a  pueblo,  (as  the  Mexicans  call 
their  civilized  Indian  villages,)  where  a 
number  of  mountaineers,  who  had  married 
Spanish  women  in  tho  valley  of  Taos,  had 
collected  together,  and  occupied  themselves 
in  farming,  carrying  on  at  the  same  time  a 
desultory  Indian  trade.  They  were  princi- 
pally Americans,  and  treated  us  with  all  the 
rude  hospi.,ality  their  situation  admitted; 
but  as  all  commercial  intercourse  with  New 
Mexico  was  now  interrupted,  in  consequence 
of  Mexican  decrees  to  that  effect,  there  waii 
nothing  to  be  had  in  the  way  of  provisions. 
They  had,  however,  a  line  stock  of  cattle, 
and  furnished  us  an  abundance  of  excellent 
milk.  I  learned  here  that  Maxwell,  io 
company  with  two  other  men,  had  started 
for  Taos  on  the  morning  of  the  0th,  but 
that  he  would  probably  fall  into  the  liandt 
of  the  Utah  Indians,  commonly  called  the 
Spanish  Yutet.  As  Maxwell  had  no  knowl- 
edge of  their  being  in  the  vicinity  when  he 
crossed  the  Arkansas,  his  chance  of  escape 
was  very  doubtful ;  but  I  did  not  entertain 
much  apprehension  for  his  life,  having  great 
confidence  in  his  prudence  and  courage.  I 
was  further  informed  that  there  had  been  a 
popular  tumult  among  the  pueblos,  or  civil' 


[1843. 

e  were  no  cloudj 
he  morning  «un 
rugged  charae. 

very  early  down 

mely  good  lodge 

ad  of  thia  stream 

high  mountain 

The  soil  along 

•ravelly,  and  tlie 

halted  to  noon 

Ine  large  cotton. 

ating  on  rushes, 

I,  along  this  tiv. 

lant.     A  varict) 

Eince,  and  amonjj 

e  numerous  and 

t  resembling  mi. 

ome  convolvulus 

caly.itegia.)    Id 

ear  the  encamp. 

[aurice,  who  haij 

pursuit  of  buflalc 

h  I  saw  among 

is  lodge.    Short- 

lountaineers  gal- 

g  and  hardy  men, 

nted  on  good  I'ai 

several  Connec- 

ith's  party,  wiumi 

,  and  others  were 

es. 

er,  we  encamped 
ts  mouth,  on  the 
'.  distance  above 
left  bank  of  the 
he  Mexicans  call 
lages,)  where  a 
vho  had  married 
ley  of  Taos,  had 
upied  themselves 
the  same  time  a 
'hey  were  princi- 
!d  us  with  all  the 
lation  admitted; 
course  with  New 
d,  in  consequence 
effect,  there  was 
ay  of  provisions, 
stock  of  cattle, 
ince  of  excellent 
lat  Maxwell,  io 
men,  had  started 
of  the  0th,  but 
11  into  the  hamli 
nonly  called  the 
ell  had  no  knowl. 
vicinity  when  he 
:hance  of  escape 
lid  not  entertain 
life,  having  great 
and  courage.  I 
there  had  been  a 
pueblos,  or  civil< 


164S.1 


CAPT    FRKMONT'.S  NAnilATIVF). 


iied  Indians,  residing  near  Taos,  a^ain^t 
the  "foreigners'^  of  that  place,  in  which 
they  had  plundered  their  houses  and  ill- 
treated  their  families.  Among  those  whose 
property  had  been  destroyed,  was  Mr.  Boau- 
bien,  father-in-law  of  Maxwell,  from  whom 
1  had  expected  to  obtain  supplies,  and  who 
nad  been  obliged  to  make  his  escape  to 
Santa  Fe. 

Hy  this  position  of  afTairs,  our  expecta- 
;ion  of  obtaining  supplies  from  Taos  was 
cut  off.  I  had  here  the  satisfaction  to  meet 
(lur  good  buffalo  hunter  of  1842,  Christo- 
pher Carson,  whose  services  I  considered 
myself  fortunate  to  secure  again  ;  and  as  a 
reinforcement  of  mules  was  absolutely  ne- 
cessary, I  dispatched  him  immediately,  with 
an  account  of  our  necessities,  to  Mr.  Charles 
]<en,t,  whose  principal  post  is  on  the  Arkan- 
biis  river,  about  75  miles  below  Fontaine- 
ijui-bouit.  He  was  directed  to  proceed 
from  that  post  by  the  nearest  route  across 
the  country,  and  meet  me  with  what  ani- 
mals he  should  be  able  to  obtain  at  St. 
\' ruin's  fort.  I  also  admitted  into  the  party 
Charles  Towns,  a  native  of  St.  Louis,  a 
serviceable  man,  with  many  of  the  qualities 
of  a  good  voyageur.  According  to  our  ob- 
ser/ations,  the  latitude  of  the  mouth  of  the 
river  is  38°  15'  23" ;  its  longitude  104°  58' 
30" ;  and  its  elevation  ?bove  the  sea  4,880 
feet. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th,  the  time  for 
Maxwell's  arrival  having  expired,  we  re- 
sumed our  journey,  leaving  for  him  a  note, 
in  which  it  was  stated  that  I  would  wait  for 
him  at  St.  Vrain's  fort  until  the  morning  of 
the  2ffth,  in  the  event  that  he  should  suc- 
ceed in  his  commission.  Our  direction  was 
up  the  Boiling  Spring  river,  it  being  my  in- 
tention to  visit  the  celebrated  springs  from 
which  the  river  takes  its  name,  and  which 
are  on  its  upper  waters,  at  the  foot  of  Pike's 
peak.  Our  animals  fared  well  while  we 
were  on  this  stream,  there  being  every- 
where a  great  abundance  of  prele.  Ipomea 
kptophylla,  in  bloom,  was  a  characteristic 
plant  along  the  river,  generally  in  large 
hunches,  with  two  to  five  flowers  on  each. 
Beautiful  clusters  of  the  plant  resembling 
mirabilis  jalapa  were  numerous,  and  gly- 
eyrrhiza  lepidota  was  a  characteristic  of 
the  bottoms.  Currants  nearly  ripe  were 
abundant,  and  among  the  shrubs  which  cov- 
ered the  bottom  was  a  very  luxuriant  growth 
of  chenopodiaceous  shrubs,  four  to  six  feet 
high. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  17th  we  entered 
among  the  broken  ridges  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  where  the  river  made  several 
forks.  Leaving  the  camp  to  follow  slowly, 
I  rode  ahead  in  the  afternoon  in  search  of 
the  springs.  In  the  mean  time,  the  clouds, 
which  had  been  gathered  all  the  afternoon 


over  the  mountains,  began  to  roll  downttheir 
sidcH  ;  and  :i  storm  so  violent  burat  \i\yon 
mc,  that  it  appeared  I  had  entered  the  store- 
house of  the  thunder  storms.  I  continued, 
however,  to  ride  along  up  the  river  until 
about  sunset,  and  was  beginning  to  bn  doubt- 
ful of  finding  the  springs  before  the  next 
day,  when  I  came  suddenly  ufion  a  l.-ir^e 
smooth  rock  about  twenty  yards  in  (!uim«'- 
ter,  where  the  water  from  several  s'lirinjL's 
was  bubbling  and  boiling  up  in  tlif  n\i(l.st  of 
a  white  incrustation  with  which  it  had  cov- 
ered a  portion  of  the  rock.  .\s  this  did  not 
correspond  with  a  description  given  ine  by 
the  hunters,  I  did  not  stop  to  ta^le  the  wa- 
ter, but,  dismounting,  walked  a  little  way  up 
the  river,  and,  passing  through  a  narrow 
thicket  of  shrubbery  bordering  the  stream, 
stepped  directly  upon  a  huge  white  rock,  at 
the  foot  of  which  the  river,  already  become 
a  torrent,  foamed  along,  broken  by  a  small 
fall.  A  deer  which  had  been  drinking  at 
the  spring  was  startled  by  my  approach, 
and,  springing  across  the  river,  bounded  of]' 
up  the  mountain.  In  the  upper  part  of  the 
rock,  which  had  apparently  been  formed  by 
deposition,  was  a  beautiful  white  basin,  over- 
hung by  currant  bushes,  in  which  the  cold 
clear  water  bubbled  up,  kept  in  constant 
motion  by  the  escaping  gas,  and  overflow- 
ing the  rock,  which  it  had  almost  entirely 
covered  with  a  smooth  crust  of  glistening 
white.  I  had  all  day  refrained  from  drink- 
ing, reserving  myself  for  the  spring ;  and 
as  I  could  not  well  be  more  wet  than  the 
rain  had  already  made  me,  I  lay  down  by 
the  side  of  the  basin,  and  drank  heartily  of 
the  delightful  water.  The  spring  is  situ- 
ated immediately  at  the  foot  of  loflty  moun- 
tains, beautifully  timbered,  which  sweep 
closely  round,  shutting  up  the  little  valley 
in  a  kind  of  cove.  As  it  was  beginnmg  to 
grow  dark,  I  rode  quickly  down  the  river, 
on  which  I  found  the  camp  a  few  miles 
below. 

The  morning  of  the  18th  was  beautiful 
and  clear,  and,  all  the  people  being  anxious 
to  drink  of  these  famous  waters,  we  en- 
camped immediately  at  the  springs,  and 
spent  there  a  very  pleasant  day.  On  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  is  another  locality 
of  springs,  which  are  entirely  of  the  same 
nature.  The  water  has  a  very  agreeable 
taste,  which  Mr.  Preuss  found  very  much 
te  resemble  that  of  the  famous  Selter  springs 
in  the  grand  duchy  of  Nassau,  a  country  fa- 
mous for  wine  and  mineral  waters ;  and  it 
is  almost  entirely  of  the  same  character, 
though  still  more  agreeable  than  that  of  the 
famous  Bear  springs,  near  Bear  river  of  the 
Great  Salt  lake.  The  following  is  an  an- 
alysis of  an  incrustation  with  which  the  wa- 
ter had  covered  a  piece  of  wood  lying  oi 
the  rock : 


CAl*T.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841 


m 


li- 


Carbonate  of  lime 
Carbonate  of  magnesia  . 
Sulphate  of  lime 
Chloride  of  calrium 
Chloride  of  magnesia 
Silica         .... 
Vcffetablo  matter 
Moisture  and  loss 


>     » 

f 


02.35 
1.31 

.33 

l.fiO 

.30 

4.61 


100.00 

At  1 1  o'clock,  when  the  temperature  of  the 
air  was  73-^,  that  of  the  water  in  this  was 
flO.50  ;  and  that  of  the  upper  spring,  which 
issued  from  the  flat  rock,  mere  exposed 
to  the  sun,  was  60°.  At  sunset,  when  the 
temperature  of  the  air  v  as  66°,  that  of 
the  lower  springs  was  58°,  and  that  of  the 
upper  Gl'^. 

July  19. — A  beautiful  and  clear  morning, 
with  a  slight  breeze  from  the  northwest;  the 
teinpcruturuof  iheairat  sunrise  being  57.5°. 
At  this  time  the  temperature  of  the  lower 
spring  was  57.8°,  and  that  of  the  upper  54.3°. 

The  trees  in  the  neighborhood  were  birch, 
willow,  pine,  and  an  oak  resembling  quer- 
ctis  alba.  In  the  shrubbery  along  the  river 
are  currant  bushes,  {ribcs,)  of  which  the 
fruit  has  a  singular  piny  flavor  ;  and  on  the 
mountain  side,  in  a  red  gravelly  soil,  is  a 
remarkable  coniferous  tree,  (perhaps  an 
abics,)  having  the  leaves  singularly  long, 
broad,  and  scattered,  with  bushes  of  spirtea 
arifffolia.  By  our  observations,  this  pLce 
is  0,350  feet  above  the  sea,  in  latitude  38° 
62'  10",  and  longitude  105°  22'  45" 

Resuming  our  journey  on  this  morning, 
we  descended  the  river,  in  order  to  reach 
the  mouth  of  the  eastern  fork,  which  I  pro- 
posed to  ascend.  The  left  bank  of  the  river 
here  is  very  much  broken  lere  is  a  hand- 
some little  bottom  on  tit  .ight,  and  both 
banks  are  exceedingly  picturesque — strata 
of  red  rock,  in  nearly  perpendicular  walls, 
crossing  the  valley  from  north  to  south. 
About  three  miles  below  the  springs,  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river,  is  a  nearly  perpen- 
dicular limestone  rock,  presenting  a  uni- 
formly unbroken  surface,  twenty  to  forty 
feet  high,  containing  very  great  numbers  of 
a  large  univalve  shell,  which  appears  to  be- 
long to  the  genus  inoceramus. 

In  contact  with  this,  to  the  westward, 
was  another  stratum  of  limestone,  contain- 
ing fossil  shells  of  a  different  character ; 
and  still  higher  up  on  the  stream  were  par- 
allel strata,  consisting  of  a  compact  some- 
what crystalline  limestone,  and  argillaceous 
bituminous  limestone  in  thin  layers.  Dur- 
ing the  morning,  we  travelled  up  the  east- 
ern fork  of  the  Fonlaine-qui-bouit  river,  our 
road  being  roughened  by  frequent  deep  gul- 
lies timbered  with  pine,  and  halted  to  noon 
on  a  small  branch  of  this  stream,  timbered 
principally  with  the  narrow-leaved  cotton- 


wood,  (populus  anguatifolia^  called  by  thi 
Canadians  Unrd  amire.  On  a  hill,  near  by 
were  two  remarkable  columns  of  a  grayish. 
white  conglomerate  rock,  one  of  which  wa» 
about  twenty  feet  high,  and  two  feet  in  di- 
ameter. They  are  surmounted  by  slabH  of 
a  dark  ferruginous  conglomerate,  forminj; 
black  caps,  and  adding  very  much  to  their 
columnar  olfcct  at  a  distance.  This  rook 
is  very  destructible  by  the  action  of  the 
weather,  and  the  hill,  of  which  they  fur- 
merly  constituted  a  part,  is  entirely  abraded, 

A  shaft  of  the  gun  carriage  was  broken 
in  the  afternoon  ;  and  we  made  an  carlj 
halt,  the  stream  being  Irom  twelve  to  twen. 
ty  feet  wide,  with  clear  water.  As  usual, 
the  clouds  had  gathered  to  a  storm  ovei 
the  mountains,  and  we  had  a  showery  even- 
ing. At  sunset  the  thermometer  stood  at 
62<3,  and  our  elevation  above  the  sea  wai 
6,530  feet. 

July  20. — This  morning  (as  we  generally 
found  the  mornings  under  these  mountains, 
was  Tery  clear  and  beautiful,  and  the  ait 
cool  and  pleasant,  with  the  thermometer  ai 
440.  We  continued  our  march  up  th« 
stream,  along  a  green  sloping  bottom,  be- 
tween pine  hills  on  the  one  hand,  and  thu 
main  Black  hills  on  the  other,  towards  the 
ridge  which  separates  the  waters  of  the 
Platte  from  those  of  the  Arkansas.  As  wt 
approached  the  dividing  ridge,  the  whole 
valley  was  radiant  with  flowers  ;  blue,  yel- 
low, pink,  white,  scarlet,  and  purple,  vied 
with  each  other  in  splendor.  Esparcette 
was  one  of  the  highly  characteristic  plants, 
and  a  bright-looking  flower  {gaillardia 
aristata)  was  very  frequent ;  but  the  most 
abundant  plant  along  our  road  to-day,  was 
geranium  maculatum,  which  is  the  charac- 
teristic plant  on  this  portion  of  the  dividing 
grounds.  Crossing  to  the  waters  of  the 
Platte,  flelds  of  blue  flax  added  to  the  mag- 
nificence of  this  mountain  garden ;  this  was 
occasionally  four  feet  in  height,  which  was 
a  luxuriance  of  growth  that  I  rarely  saw 
this  almost  universal  plant  attain  throughout 
tiie  journey.  Continuing  down  a  branch  of 
the  Platte,  among  high  and  very  steep  tim- 
bered hills,  covered  with  fragments  of  rocK, 
towards  evening  we  issued  from  the  pin; 
region,  and  made  a  late  encampment  neat 
Poundcake  rock,  on  that  fork  of  the  river 
which  we  had  ascended  on  the  8th  of  July 
Our  animals  enjoyed  the  abundant  rushes 
this  evening,  as  the  flies  were  so  bad  among 
the  pines  that  they  had  been  much  harassed. 
A  deer  was  killed  here  this  evening ;  and 
again  the  evening  was  overcast,  and  a  col- 
lection of  brilliant  red  clouds  in  the  west 
was  followed  by  the  customary  squall  of  rain. 

Achillea  millefolium  (milfoil)  was  among 
the  characteristic  plants  of  the  river  bot- 
toms to-day.    This  was  one  of  the  moM 


[1841 

ia,)  called  l)y  thi 
)n  a  hill,  near  b* 
Tins  of  u  (rrayUii. 
uno  of  which  wa« 
1(1  Iwo  feet  in  di- 
iinted  by  slabs  of 
Dmeratc,  forinin(i 
ry  niucli  to  their 
ance.  This  rock 
10  action  of  the 
which  they  for. 
entirely  abraded, 
riage  was  broken 
made  an  carlj 
I  twelve  to  tweii. 
■ater.  As  usunj, 
lo  a  storm  over 
a  showery  even. 
nometer  stood  at 
ove  the  sea  wai 

(as  we  generally 
these  mountains 
tiful,  and  the  ait 
e  thermometer  ai 
-  march  up  th* 
ping  bottom,  be- 
ne hand,  and  thu 
;her,  towards  the 
3  waters  of  the 
rkansas.  As  we 
ridge,  the  wliolo 
)wers  ;  blue,  yet- 
and  purple,  vied 
dor,  Espurcette 
racteristic  plants, 
iwer  (gaillardia 
t ;  but  the  most 
road  to-day,  was 
ch  is  the  charaC' 
n  of  the  dividing 
e  waters  of  the 
dded  to  the  mag- 
garden  ;  this  was 
eight,  which  was 
at  I  rarely  saw 
attain  throughout 
lown  a  branch  ol 
i  very  steep  tim- 
agments  of  rocK, 
d  from  the  piny 
ncampment  near 
jrk  of  the  river 
the  8th  of  July 
abundant  rushes 
ire  so  bad  among 
1  much  harassed, 
is  evening ;  and 
rcast,  and  a  col- 
tids  in  the  west 
try  squall  of  rain. 
Ifoil)  was  among 
f  the  river  hot- 
)ne  of  the  moM 


iMt'l 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE 


{ominon  pUnts  during  the  whole  of  our 
jggrney,  occurring  in  almost  every  variety 
g{  lituatioD.  I  noticed  it  on  the  lowlands 
gf  the  rivers,  near  the  coast  of  the  Pacific, 
isd  near  to  the  snow  among  the  mountains 
jf  the  Surra  Nevada. 

During  this  excursion,  we  had  surveyed 
10  its  head  one  of  the  two  principal  branches 
of  the  upper  Arkansas,  76  miles  in  length, 
ind  entirely  completed  our  survey  of  thu 
<uiith  fork  of  the  Platte,  to  the  extreme 
jources  of  that  portion  of  the  river  which 
belongs  to  the  plains,  and  heads  in  the  bro- 
ken hills  of  the  Arkansas  dividing  rid^e,  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountains.  That  portion  of 
Its  waters  which  were  collected  among  these 
mountains,  it  was  hoped  to  explore  on  our 
homeward  voyage. 

Reaching  bt.  Vrain's  fort  on  the  morninff 
of  the  23d,  we  found  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  ana 
Ills  party  in  good  order  and  excellent  health, 
i;id  my  true  and  reliable  friend.  Kit  Carson, 
who  had  brought  with  him  ten  good  mules, 
with  the  necessary  pack-saddles.  Mr. 
Fitzpatrick,  who  had  often  endured  every 
extremity  of  want  during  the  courho  of  his 
mountain  life,  and  knew  well  the  vulue  of 
provisions  in  this  country,  had  watched  over 
(jur  stock  with  jealous  vigilance,  and  thcro 
was  an  ubundanue  of  Hour,  rice,  sugar,  and 
toffee,  in  the  camp ;  and  again  we  fared 
luxuriously.  Meat  was,  however,  very 
icarco  ;  and  two  very  small  pigs,  which  we 
obtained  at  the  fort,  did  not  go  far  among 
forty  men.  Mr.  Fitzj)atrick  had  been  hero 
a  week,  during  which  time  his  men  hud 
been  occupied  in  retitting  the  camp  ;  and 
the  repose  had  been  very  beneficial  to  hi.s 
animals,  which  were  now  in  tolerably  good 
condition. 

I  had  been  able  to  obtain  no  certain  in- 
formation in  regard  to  the  character  of  the 
passes  in  this  portion  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tain range,  which  had  always  been  repre- 
sented as  impriCticable  for  carriages,  but 
the  exploration  of  which  was  incidentally 
contemplated  by  my  instructions,  with  the 
view  of  finding  some  convenient  point  of 
passage  for  the  road  of  emigration,  which 
would  enable  it  to  reach,  on  a  more  direct 
line,  the  usual  ford  of  the  Great  Colorado — 
a  place  considered  as  determined  by  the  na- 
ture of  the  country  beyond  that  river.  It  is 
singular,  that  immediately  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  I  could  find  no  one  sufficiently 
acquainted  with  them  to  guide  us  to  the 
plains  at  their  western  base  ;  but  the  race 
of  trappers,  who  formerly  lived  in  their  re- 
cesses, has  almost  entirely  disappeared — 
dwindled  to  a  few  scattered  individuals — 
some  one  or  two  of  whom  are  regularly 
killed  in  tue  ccurs-g  of  each  year  by  the  In- 
dians. You  will  remember,  that  in  the  pre- 
vious year  I  brought  with  me  to  their  village 


near  this  post,  and  hospitably  treated  on  th* 
way,  several  Cheyenne  Indians,  whom  I  had 
met  on  <he  Lower  Platte.  Shortly  aftar 
their  arrival  here,  those  were  out  with  % 
party  of  Indians,  (themselves  the  priccipal 
men,)  which  discovered  a  few  trappers  id 
the  neighboring  mountains,  whom  they  iiu< 
mediately  murdered,  although  one  of  theoi 
hud  been  nearly  thirty  years  in  the  country, 
and  was  perfectly  well  known,  as  he  had 
grown  gray  among  them. 

Through  this  portion  of  the  moantains, 
also,  ara  the  customary  roads  of  the  war 
parties  going  out  against  tho  Utah  and 
Shoshoneo  Indians ;  and  occasionally  par* 
tics  from  the  Crow  nation  make  their  way 
down  to  the  southward  along  this  chain,  in  tlia 
expectation  of  surprising  somo  ttraggling 
lodges  of  their  enemies.  Shortly  before  oui 
arrival,  one  of  their  parties  had  attacked  an 
Arapaho  village  in  the  vicinity,  which  they 
had  found  unexpectedly  strong  ;  and  their 
assault  was  turned  into  a  rapid  flight  and  a 
hot  pursuit,  in  which  they  had  been  com- 
pelled to  abandon  the  animals  they  had  rude, 
and  escape  on  their  war  horses. 

Into  this  uncertain  and  dangerous  reginq, 
small  parties  of  three  or  four  trappers,  wno 
now  rould  collect  together,  rarely  ventured ; 
:l:i<1  consequently  it  was  seldom  visited  and 
little  known.  Having  determined  to  try 
the  passage  by  a  pass  through  a  spur  of  tha 
mountains  made  by  the  Cdchc-d-la-Poudre 
river,  which  rises  in  tho  high  bed  of  moun- 
tains around  Long's  peak,  I  thought  it  ad- 
visable to  avoid  any  encumbrance  which 
would  occasion  detention,  and  accordingly 
again  separated  the  party  into  two  divisions 
— one  of  which,  under  the  command  of  Mr. 
Fitzpatrick,  w  Erected  to  cross  the  plains 
to  the  mouth  of  imie  river,  and,  continu- 
ing thence  its  route  along  the  usual  emi- 
grant road,  meet  me  at  Fort  Ilall,  a  post 
belonging  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
and  situated  on  Snake  river,  as  it  is  com- 
monly called  in  tho  Oregon  Territory,  al- 
though better  known  to  us  as  Lewis's  for', 
of  the  Columbia.  The  latter  name  is  the., 
restricted  to  one  ef  the  upper  forks  of  the 
river. 

Our  Delaware  Indians  having  determined 
to  return  to  their  homes,  it  became  ne.-essa- 
ry  to  provide  this  party  with  a  goo',  hunter  ; 
and  I  accordingly  engaged  in  tliat  capacity 
Alexander  Godey,  a  young  man  about  26 
years  of  age,  who  had  been  in  this  country 
six  or  seven  years,  all  of  which  lime  had 
been  actively  employed  in  hunting  for  the 
support  of  the  posts,  or  in  solitary  trading 
expeditions  among  the  Indians.  In  courago 
and  professional  skill  he  was  a  formidable 
rival  to  Carson,  and  constantly  afterwards 
was  among  the  best  and  most  efficient  of 
the  party,  and  .1i  difficult  situations  was  of 


I 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NAKKATIVE. 


[i84| 


incalculable  ralue.  Hiram  Powers,  one 
of  the  men  belonging  to  Mr.  Fitzpatrick's 
party,  was  discharged  at  tliis  place. 

A  French  engage,  at  Lupton's  fort,  had 
been  shot  in  the  back  on  the  4th  of  July, 
and  died  during  our  absence  to  the  Arkan- 
sas. The  wife  of  the  murdered  man,  an 
Indian  woman  of  the  Snake  nation,  desirous, 
like  Naomi  of  old,  to  return  to  her  people, 
requested  and  obtained  permission  to  travel 
with  my  party  to  the  neighborhood  of  Bear 
river,  where  she  expected  to  meet  with 
some  of  their  villages.  Happier  than  the 
Jewish  widow,  she  carried  with  her  two 
children,  pretty  little  half-breeds,  who  added 
much  to  the  liveliness  of  the  camp  Her 
baggage  was  carried  on  five  or  six  pack 
horses ;  and  I  gave  her  a  small  tent,  for 
which  I  no  longer  had  any  use,  as  I  had 
procured  a  lodge  at  the  fort. 

For  my  own  party  I  selected  the  follow- 
ing men,  a  number  of  whom  old  associatiokis 
rendered  agreeaMe  to  me  : 

Charles  Preuss,  Christopher  Carson,  Ba- 
sil Lajeunesse,  Frantjois  Badeau,  J.  B.  Ber- 
nier,  Louis  Menard,  Raphael  Proue,  Jacob 
Dodson,  Louis  Zindel,  Henry  Lee,  J.  B. 
Derosier,  Franejois  Lajeunesse,  and  Auguste 
Vasquez. 

By  observation,  the  latitude  of  the  post  is 
40O  16'  33",  and  its  longitude  105°  12'  23", 
depending,  with  all  the  other  longitudes 
along  this  portion  of  the  line,  upon  a  subse- 
quent occuitation  of  September  13,  1843,  to 
which  they  are  referred  by  the  chronome- 
ter. Its  distance  from  Kansas  landing,  by 
the  road  we  travelled,  (which,  it  will  be  re- 
membered, was  very  winding  along  the 
lower  Kansas  river,)  was  750  miles.  The 
rate  of  the  chronometer,  determined  by  ob- 
servations at  this  place  for  the  interval  of 
our  absence,  during  this  month,  was  33.72", 
which  you  will  hereafter  see  did  not  sensi- 
bly change  during  the  ensuing  month,  and 
remained  nearly  constant  during  the  re- 
mainder of  our  journey  across  the  continent. 
This  was  the  rate  used  in  referring  to  St. 
Vrain's  fort,  the  longitude  between  that 
place  and  the  mouth  of  the  Fonlaine-qui- 
bouit. 

Our  various  barometrical  observations, 
which  are  bettor  worthy  of  confidence  than 
the  isolated  dotevuiination  of  1842,  give,  for 
the  elevation  of  the  fort  above  the  sea,  4,930 
feet.  The  barometer  here  used  vva.i  also  a 
better  one,  and  less  liable  to  derantonient. 

At  the  end  of  two  days,  which  was  allow- 
ed to  my  animals  for  necessarv  repose,  all 
the  arrangements  had  been  completed,  and 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  wo  resumed  our 
respective  routes.  Some  little  trouble  was 
experienced  in  crossing  the  Platte,  the  wa- 
ters or-,vi.'icb  were  stiii  kept  n>  uv  rams  ti.id 
meeting  dnow  ,  ana  having  travelled  only 


1«4S.] 


about  four  miles,  we  encamped  in  the  ereo. 
ing  on  Thompson's  creek,  where  we  were 
very  much  disturbed  by  mosquitoes. 

The  following  days  we  continued  oqr 
march  westward  over  comparative  plains 
and,  fording  the  CAcho-a-la-Poudre  on  the 
morning  of  the  28th,  entered  the  Black  hilji 
and  nooned  on  this  stream  in  the  mountains 
beyond  them.  Passing  over  a  fine  large 
bottom  in  the  afternoon,  we  reached  a  place 
where  the  river  was  shut  up  in  the  hilij 
and,  ascending  a  ravine,  made  a  laboriou 
and  very  difficult  passage  around  by  a  gap 
striking  the  river  again  about  dusk.  A  lit'Je 
labor,  however,  would  remove  this  diffi. 
culty,  and  render  the  road  to  this  point  a 
very  excellent  one.  The  evening  closed 
in  dark  with  rain,  and  the  mountains  looked 
gloomy. 

July  29. — Leaving  our  encampment  about 
7  in  the  morning,  we  travelled  until  3  in  the 
afternoon  along  the  river,  which,  for  this 
distance  of  about  six  miles,  runs  directly 
through  a  spur  of  the  main  mountains. 

We  were  compelled  by  the  nature  of  the 
ground  to  cross  the  river  eight  or  nine  times, 
at  difficult,  deep,  and  rocky  fords,  the  stream 
running  with  great  force,  swollen  by  the 
rains — a  true  mountain  torrent,  only  forty 
or  fifty  feet  wide.  It  was  a  mountain  valley 
of  the  narrowest  kind — almost  a  chasm  i 
and  the  scenery  very  wild  and  beautiful. 
Towering  mountains  rose  round  about ;  theit 
sides  sometimes  dark  with  forests  of  pine, 
and  sometimes  with  lofty  precipices,  washed 
by  the  river ;  while  below,  as  if  they  in- 
demnified themselves  in  luxuriance  for  the 
scanty  space,  the  green  river  bottom  was 
covered  with  a  wilderness  of  flowers,  theii 
taP  spikes  sometimes  rising  above  our  heads 
as  we  rode  among  them.  A  profusion  of 
blossoms  on  a  white  flowering  vine,  {clema- 
tis lasianthi,)  which  was  abundant  along  the 
river,  contrasted  handsomely  with  the  green 
foliage  of  the  trees.  The  mountain  appear- 
ed to  be  composed  of  a  greenish  gray  and 
rod  granite,  v^hich  in  some  places  appeared 
to  be  in  a  state  of  decomposition,  making  a 
red  soil. 

The  stream  was  wooded  with  cotton- 
wood,  box-elder,  and  cherry,  with  currant 
and  serviceberry  bushes.  After  a  some- 
what laborious  day,  during  which  it  had 
rained  incessantly,  we  encamped  near  the 
end  of  the  pass  at  the  mouth  of  a  small 
creek,  in  sight  of  the  great  Laramie  plains, 
It  continued  to  rain  heavily,  and  at  evening 
the  mountains  were  hid  in  mists  ;  but  there 
was  no  lack  of  wood,  and  the  large  fires  we 
made  to  dry  our  clothes  wore  very  comfort- 
able ;  and  at  night  the  hunters  came  in  with 
a  fine  deer  Sough  and  difficult  as  we  focnd 
t^.  ;/uJ.T  lo-day,  an  excellent  road  ma^  be 
:  :  tile  with  a  little  labor.     Elevatioa  ch  u^i 


[1841 

nped  in  the  eyeu. 

where  we  were 
osqiiitoes. 
e  continued  oar 
mparative  plajng 
la-Poudre  on  the 
!d  the  Black  hilli, 

in  the  mountains 
ver  a  fine  largj 
e  reached  a  plac« 
up  in  the  hilii, 
nade  a  laboriotu 
iround  by  a  gap, 
3ut  dusk.  A  httli 
itnove  this  diffi. 
I  to  this  point  a 
s  evening  closed 
nountains  looked 

icampment  abont 
lied  until  3  in  the 

which,  for  this 
es,  runs  directlj 

mountains, 
the  nature  of  the 
jht  or  nine  times, 

fords,  the  stream 

swollen  by  the 
)rrent,  only  forty 

mountain  valley 
Imost  a  chasm  1 
d  and  beautiful, 
ound  about ;  their 

forests  of  pine, 
•ecipices,  washed 
,  as  if  they  in- 
Kuriance  for  the 
iver  bottom  was 
of  flowers,  their 
[  above  our  heads 

A  profusion  of 
iiig  vine,  (clema- 
undant  along  the 
ly  with  the  green 
nountain  appear- 
reenish  gray  and 
places  appeared 
isition,  making  a 

;d  with  cotton- 
ry,  with  currant 
After  a  sone- 
g  which  it  had 
amped  near  the 
louth  of  a  small 
Laramie  plains, 
,  and  at  evening 
nists  ;  but  there 
ic  large  fires  we 
re  very  comfort- 
Ms  came  in  with 
cult  as  wefooiid 
>t  road  may  be 
ilevatioQ  oi  tnJ 


IMS.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


«7 


eunp  5,540  feet,  and  distance  from  St. 
Vrain's  fort  56  miles. 

July  30. — The  day  was  bright  again ;  the 
thermometer  at  sunrise  52<^ ;  and  leaving 
our  encampment  at  8  o'clock,  in  about  half 
a  mile  we  crossed  the  Cdche-d-la-Poudre 
river  for  the  last  time ;  and,  entering  a 
gmootl'  country,  we  travelled  along  a  kind 
of  wtllon,  bounded  on  the  right  by  red  buttes 
and  precipices,  while  to  the  left  a  high  roll- 
ing country  extended  to  a  range  of  the 
Black  hills,  beyond  which  rose  the  great 
mountains  around  Long's  peak. 

By  the  great  quantity  of  snow  visible 
among  them,  it  had  probably  snowed  heavily 
there  the  previous  day,  while  it  had  rained 
on  us  in  the  valley. 

We  halted  at  noon  on  a  small  branch ; 
and  in  the  afternoon  travelled  over  a  high 
country,  gradually  ascending  towards  a 
range  of  buttes,  or  high  hills  covered  with 
pines,  which  forma  the  dividing  ridge  be- 
tween the  waters  we  had  left  and  those  of 
Laramie  river. 

Late  in  the  evening  we  encamped  at  a 
spring  of  cold  water,  near  the  summit  of  the 
ridge,  having  increased  our  elevation  to 
7,520  feet.  During  the  day  we  had  travel- 
led 24  miles.  By  some  indifFerent  observa- 
tions, our  latitude  is  41^  03'  19".  A  spe- 
cies of  hedeome  was  characteristic  along  the 
whole  day's  route. 

Emerging  from  the  mountains,  we  enter- 
ed a  region  of  bright,  fair  weather.  In  my 
experience  in  this  country,  I  was  forcibly 
impressed  with  the  dilTerunt  character  of 
the  climate  on  opposite  sides  of  the  Rocky 
mountain  range.  The  vast  prairie  plain  on 
the  east  is  like  'he  ocean ;  the  rain  and 
clouds  from  the  constantly  evaporating  snow 
of  the  mountains  rushing  down  into  the  heat- 
ed air  of  the  plains,  on  which  you  will  have 
occasion  to  remark  the  frequent  storms  of 
rain  we  encountered  during  our  journey. 

July  31. — The  morning  was  clear  ;  tem- 
perature 480,  A  fine  rolling  road,  among 
piny  and  grassy  hills,  brought  us  this  morn- 
ing into  a  large  trail  where  an  Indian  vil- 
lage had  recently  passed.  The  weather 
was  pleasant  and  coo. ;  we  were  disturbed 
by  neither  mosquitoes  nor  flies  ;  and  the 
country  was  certainly  extremely  beautiful. 
The  slopes  and  broad  ravines  were  abso- 
lute!) covered  with  fields  of  flowers  of  the 
most  exquisitely  beautiful  colors.  Among 
those  which  had  not  hitiierlo  made  their  ap- 
pearance, and  which  here  were  characteris- 
tic, was  a  new  dtl/i/nnium,  of  a  gr(;t;n  and 
lustrous  metallic  blue  color,  niingliul  vvilli 
conipact  fiolJs  of  several  briglil-colurcd  va- 
rieties of  astragalus,  which  were  crowded 
together  in  splendid  profusion.  This  irail 
conducted  us  through  a  remarkable  defile, 
to  a  little  timbered  creek,  up  which  we 


wound  our  way,  passing  by  a  singular  and 
massive  wall  of  dark-red  granite.  The 
formation  of  the  country  is  a  red  feldspathie 
granite,  overlying  a  decomposing  mass  of 
the  same  rock,  forming  the  soil  of  all  this 
region,  which  everywhere  is  red  and  graT- 
elly,  and  appears  to  be  of  a  great  floral  fer- 
tility. 

As  we  emerged  on  a  small  tributary  of 
the  Laramie  river,  coming  in  sight  of  its 
principal  stream,  the  flora  became  perfectly 
magnificent ;  and  we  congratulated  our- 
selves, as  we  rode  along  our  pleasant  road, 
that  we  had  substituted  this  for  the  uninter- 
esting country  between  Laramie  hills  and 
the  Sweet  Water  valley.  We  had  no  meat 
for  supper  last  night  or  breakfast  this  morn- 
ing, ai;d  were  glad  to  see  Carson  come  in 
at  noon  with  a  good  antelope. 

A  merdian  observation  of  the  sun  placed 
us  in  latitude  41°  04'  06".  In  the  evening 
we  encamped  on  the  Laramie  river,  which 
is  here  very  thinly  timbered  with  scattered 
groups  of  cotton-wood  at  considerable  inter- 
vals. From  our  camp,  we  are  able  to  dis- 
tinguish the  gorges,  in  which  are  the  sources 
of  Q4che-a-la-Poudre  and  Laramie  rivers  ; 
and  the  Medicine  Bow  mountain,  towards 
the  point  of  which  we  are  directing  our 
course  this  afternoon,  has  been  in  sight  the 
greater  part  of  the  day.  By  observation 
the  latitude  was  41°  15'  02",  and  longitude 
106°  10'  54".  The  same  beautiful  flora 
continued  till  about  four  in  the  afternoon, 
when  it  suddetdy  disappeared,  with  the  red 
soil,  which  became  sandy  and  of  a  whitish- 
gray  color.  The  evening  was  tolerably 
clear ;  temperature  at  sunset  64°.  The 
day's  journey  was  30  miles. 

August  1. — The  morning  was  calm  and 
clear,  with  sunrise  temperature  at  42°.  We 
travelled  to-day  over  a  plain,  or  open  roll- 
ing country,  at  the  foot  of  the  Medicine 
Bow  mountain  ;  the  soil  in  the  morning  be- 
ing sandy,  with  fragments  of  rock  abun- 
dant ;  and  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  ap- 
proached closer  to  the  mountain,  so  stony 
that  we  made  but  little  way.  The  beautiful 
plants  of  yesterday  reappeared  occasional- 
ly ;  flax  in  bloom  occurred  during  the  morn- 
ing, and  esparcette  in  luxuriant  abundance 
was  a  characteristic  of  the  stony  ground  in 
the  afternoon.  The  camp  was  roused  into 
a  little  excitement  by  a  chase  after  a  buffa- 
lo bull,  and  an  encounter  with  a  war  party 
of  Sioux  and  Cheyenne  Indians  about  30 
strong.  Hares  and  antelope  were  seen  du- 
ring the  day,  and  one  ot  the  latter  was 
killed.  The  Laramie  peak  was  in  sight 
this  afternoon.  The  evening  was  clpar^ 
with  scatteied  cloud?  :  temperature  02°. 
The  day's  journey  was  20  miles. 

August  2. — Temperature  at  sunrise  62°, 
and  scenery  and  weather  made  our  road  to- 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATlVJi;. 


L1^ 


day  delightful.  The  neighboring  mountain 
is  thickly  studded  with  pines,  intermingled 
with  the  brighter  foliage  of  aspens,  and 
occasional  spots  like  lawns  between  the 
patches  of  snow  among  the  pines,  and  here 
and  there  on  the  heights.  Our  route  below 
lay  over  a  comparative  plain,  covered  witlj 
the  same  brilliant  vegetation,  and  the  day 
was  clear  and  pleasantly  cool.  During  tiie 
morning,  we  crossed  many  streams,  clear 
and  rocky,  and  broad  grassy  valleys,  of  a 
strong  black  soil,  washed  down  from  the 
mountains,  and  producing  excellent  pastu- 
rage. These  were  timbered  with  the  red 
willow  and  long-leaved  cotton-wood,  min- 
gled with  aspen,  as  we  approached  the 
mountain  more  nearly  towards  noon.  Es- 
parcette  was  a  characteristic,  and  flax  oc- 
curred frequently  in  bloom.  We  halted  at 
noon  on  the  most  western  fork  of  Laramie 
river — a  handsome  stream  about  sixty  feet 
wide  and  two  feet  deep,  with  clear  water 
and  a  swift  current,  over  a  bed  composed 
entirely  of  boulders  or  roll  stones.  There 
was  a  large  open  bottom  here,  on  which 
were  many  lodge  poles  lying  about ;  and  in 
the  edge  of  the  surrounding  timber  were 
three  strong  forts,  that  appeared  to  have 
been  recently  occupied.  At  this  place  I 
became  first  acquainted  with  the  yampah, 
(anethum  graveolens,)  which  I  found  our 
Snake  woman  engaged  in  digging  in  the 
low  timbered  bottom  of  the  creek.  Among 
the  Indians  along  the  Rocky  mountains,  and 
more  particularly  among  the  Shoshonee  or 
Snake  Indians,  in  whose  territory  it  is  very 
abundant,  this  is  considered  the  best  among 
the  roots  used  for  food.  To  us  it  was  an 
interesting  plant — a  little  link  between  the 
savage  and  civilized  life.  Here,  among  the 
Indians,  its  root  is  a  common  article  of  food, 
which  they  take  pleasure  in  offering  to 
strangers ;  while  with  us,  in  a  considerable 
portion  of  America  and  Europe,  the  seeds 
are  used  to  flavor  soup.  It  grows  more 
abundantly,  and  in  greater  luxuriance,  on 
one  of  the  neighboring  tributaries  of  the 
Colorado  than  in  any  other  part  of  this  re- 
gion ;  and  on  that  stream,  to  which  the 
Siiakes  are  accustomed  to  resort  every  year 
to  procure  a  supply  of  iheir  favorite  plant, 
ilicy  have  bestowed  In  name  of  Yampah 
river.  Among  the  trappers,  it  is  generally 
known  as  Little  Snake  river ;  but  in  this 
and  other  instances,  where  it  illustrated  the 
hiatory  of  the  people  inhabiting  the  country, 
I  have  preferred  to  retain  on  the  map  the 
aboriginal  name.  By  a  meridional  obser- 
vation, the  latitude  is  41-'  45'  59". 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  our  way  direct- 
ly across  the  spurs  from  the  point  of  the 
mountain,  where  we  had  several  ridges  to 
cross  ;  and,  although  the  road  was  not  ren- 
dered bad  by  the  nature  of  the  ground,  it 


was  made  extremely  rough  by  the  stiff 
tough  bushes  of  artemisia  tridentata,*  in 
this  cojntry  commonly  called  sage. 

This  shrub  now  began  to  make  its  ap. 
pearance  in  compact  fields  ;  and  we  were 
about  to  quit  for  a  long  time  this  country  of 
excellent  pasturage  and  brilliant  flowers. 
Ten  or  twelve  buffalo  bulls  were  seen  dur- 
ing  the  afternoon  ;  and  we  were  surprised 
by  the  appearance  of  a  large  red  ox.  We 
gathered  around  him  as  if  he  had  been  an 
old  acquaintance,  with  all  our  domestic  feel- 
ings as  much  awakened  as  if  we  had  come  in 
sight  of  an  old  farm  house.  Pie  had  proba- 
bly made  his  escape  from  some  party  of 
emigrants  on  Green  river ;  and,  with  a  vivid 
remembrance  of  some  old  green  field,  he 
was  pursuing  the  straightest  course  for  the 
frontier  that  the  country  admitted.  We 
carried  him  along  with  us  as  a  prize  ;  and, 
when  it  was  found  in  the  morning  that  he 
had  wandered  off,  I  would  not  let  him  be 
pursued,  for  I  would  rather  have  gone 
through  a  starving  time  of  three  entire  daye, 
than  let  him  be  killed  after  he  had  success- 
fully run  the  gauntlet  so  far  among  the  In 
dians.  I  have  been  told  by  Mr.  Bent's 
people  of  an  ox  born  and  raised  at  St. 
Vrain's  fort,  which  made  his  escape  from 
them  at  Elm  grove,  near  the  frontier,  hav- 
ing  come  in  that  year  with  the  wagons. 
They  were  on  their  way  out,  and  saw  occa- 
sionally places  where  he  had  eaten  and  lain 
down  to  rest ;  but  did  not  see  him  for  about 
700  miles,  when  they  overtook  him  on  the 
road,  travelling  along  to  the  fort,  having 
unaccountably  escaped  Indians  and  every 
other  mischance. 

We  encamped  at  evening  on  the  princi- 
pal fork  of  Medicine  Bow  river,  near  to  an 
isolated  mountain  called  the  Medicine  Butte, 
which  appeared  to  be  about  1,800  feet  above 
the  plain,  from  which  it  rises  abruptly,  and 
was  still  white,  nearly  to  its  base,  with  a 
great  quantity  of  snow.  The  streams  were 
timbered  with  the  long-leaved  cotton-wood 
and  red  willow ;  and  during  thf;  afternoon  a 
species  of  onion  was  very  abundant.  I  ob- 
tained here  an  immersion  of  the  first  satel- 
lite of  .lupiter,  which,  corresponding  very 
neu  ' ,  with  the  chronometer,  placed  us  ia 
longitude  106°  47'  25".  The  latitude,  by 
observation,  was  41^  37'  16" ;  elevation 
above  the  sea,  7,800  feet,  and  distance  from 
St.  Vrain's  fort,  147  milos. 

August  3. — There  was  a  white  frost  last 
night ;  the  morning  is  clear  and  cool.     We 

*  The  greater  portion  of  our  subsequent  jour- 
ney was  thronjrli  \\  region  wliero  this  shrub  con- 
stituted thy  tree  of  the  country  ;  and,  as  it  will 
ofluu  !)u  mentioned  in  occasicnal  descriptions, 
tho  word  artemiiia  only  will  be  used,  without 
tlij  Bpecific  nanio. 


1B4S.] 


country. 


h  by  the  stiff 

tndentata,*  ij 
ed  sage. 

'  make  its  ap. 
and  we  were 

this  country  of 
iriliiant   flowers. 

were  seen  dur- 

were  surprised 
re  red  ox.  We 
he  had  been  an 
ir  domestic  feel- 
'  we  had  come  in 

He  had  proba- 

some  party  of 
and,  witha^ivid 
green  field,  he 
it  course  for  tlie 
admitted.  We 
is  a  prize  ;  and, 
norning  that  he 

not  let  him  be 
her  have  gone 
liree  entire  days, 
he  had  success- 
r  among  the  In 
by  Mr.   Bent's 

raised  at  St, 
his  escape  from 
le  frontier,  hav. 
|th  the  wagons, 
t,  and  saw  occa- 
d  eaten  and  lain 
36  him  for  about 
;ook  him  on  the 
he  fort,  having 
lians  and  every 

g  on  the  princi- 
iver,  near  to  an 
Medicine  Butte, 
1,800  feet  above 
3s  abruptly,  and 
its  base,  with  a 
le  streams  were 
red  f.'<itton-wood 
tlie  afternoon  a 
bundant.  I  ob- 
'  the  first  satel- 
esponding  very 
3r,  placed  us  in 
'he  latitude,  by 
16" ;  elevation 
d  distance  from 

white  frost  last 
and  cool.     We 

subsequent  jour- 
n  this  shrub  coo- 
;  and,  aa  it  will 
nal  descriptions, 
be  used,  withoat 


1B43.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


6V 


«ere  early  on  the  road,  having  breakfasted 
l)efore  sunrise,  and  in  a  few  miles  travel 
eotered  the  pass  of  the  Medicine  Butte, 
•hrnugh  which  led  a  broad  trail,  which  had 

een  recently  travelled  by  a  very  large  par- 
ty. Immediately  in  the  pass,  the  road  was 
brokfn  by  ravines,  and  we  were  obliged  to 
clear  a  way  through  groves  of  aspens,  which 
generally  made  their  appearance  when  we 
reached  eVjTated  regions.  According  to  the 
barometer,  this  was  8.300  feet ;  and  while 
we  were  detained  in  opening  a  road,  I  ob- 
tained a  meridional  observation  of  the  sun, 
which  gave  41o  35'  48"  for  the  latitude  of 
the  pass.  The  Medicine  Butte  is  isolated 
by  a  small  tributary  of  the  North  fork  of  the 
Platte,  but  the  mountains  approach  each 
other  very  nearly ;  the  stream  running  at 
their  feet.  On  the  south  they  are  smooth, 
with  occasional  streaks  of  pine ;  but  the 
butte  itself  is  ragged,  with  escarpments  of 
red  feldspathic  granite,  and  dark  with  pines ; 
the  snow  reaching  from  the  summit  to  within 
a  few  hundred  feet  of  the  trail.  The  gran- 
ite here  was  more  compact  and  durable  than 
that  in  the  formation  which  we  had  passed 
through  a  few  days  before  to  the  eastward 
of  Laramie.  Continuing  our  way  over  a 
plain  on  the  west  side  of  the  pass,  where 
the  road  was  terribly  rough  with  artemisia, 
we  made  our  evening  encampment  on  the 
creek,  where  it  took  a  northern  direction, 
unfavorable  to  the  course  we  were  pursu- 
ing. Bands  of  buffalo  were  discovered  as 
we  came  down  upon  the  plain  ;  and  Carson 
brought  into  the  camp  a  cow  which  had  the 
fat  on  the  fleece  two  incJies  thick.  Even 
in  this  country  of  rich  pasturage  and  abun- 
dant game,  it  is  rare  that  the  hunter  chances 
upon  a  finer  animal.  Our  voyage  had  al- 
ready been  long,  but  this  was  the  first  good 
buffalo  meat  we  had  obtained.  We  travel- 
led to-day  26  miles. 

August  4. — The  morning  was  clear  and 
calm;  and,  leaving  the  creek,  we  travelled 
towards  the  North  fork  of  the  Platte,  over 
a  plain  which  was  rendered  rough  and 
broken  by  ravines.  With  the  exception  of 
■iome  thin  grasses,  the  sandy  soil  here  was 
occupied  almost  exclusively  by  artemisia, 
with  its  usual  turpentine  odor.  We  had  ex- 
pected to  meet  with  some  difficulty  in  cross- 
.".it  the  river,  but  happened  to  strike  it 
where  there  was  a  very  excellent  ford,  and 
halted  to  noon  on  the  left  bank,  200  miles 
from  St.  Vrain's  fort.  The  hunters  brought 
in  pack  animals  loaded  with  fine  meat.  Ac- 
cording to  our  imperfect  knowledge  of  the 
country,  there  should  have  been  a  small  af- 
fluent to  this  stream  a  few  miles  higher  up  ; 
and  in  the  aflernoon  we  continued  our  way 
among  the  river  hills,  in  the  expectation  of 
encamping  upon  it  in  the  evening.  The 
ground  proved  to  be  so  exceedingly  diffi- 


cult, broken  up  into  hills,  terminating  in  es- 
carpments and  broad  ravines,  500  or  600 
feet  deep,  with  sides  so  precipitous  that  we 
could  scarcely  find  a  place  to  descend,  that, 
towards  sunset,  I  turned  directly  in  towards 
the  river,  and,  after  nightfall,  entered  a  sort 
of  ravine.  We  were  obliged  to  feel  our 
way,  and  clear  a  road  in  the  darkness  ;  the 
surface  being  much  broken,  and  the  pro- 
gress of  the  carriages  being  greatly  ob- 
structed by  the  artemisia,  which  had  a  luxu- 
riant growth  of  four  to  six  feet  in  height. 
We  had  scrambled  along  this  gully  for  sev- 
eral hours,  during  which  we  had  knocked 
off  the  carriage  lamps,  broken  a  thermome- 
ter and  several  small  articles,  when,  fear- 
ing to  lose  something  of  more  importance, 
I  halted  for  the  night  at  10  o'clock.  Our 
animals  were  turned  down  towards  the  riv- 
er, that  they  might  pick  up  what  little 
grass  they  could  find;  and  after  a  little 
search,  some  water  was  found  in  a  small 
ravine,  and  improved  by  digging.  We  light- 
ed up  the  ravine  with  fires  of  artemisia,  and 
about  midnight  sat  down  to  a  supper  which 
we  were  hungry  enough  to  find  delightful — 
although  the  buffalo  meat  was  crusted  with 
sand,  and  the  coffee  was  bitter  with  the 
wormwood  taste  of  the  artemisia  leaves. 

A  successful  day's  hunt  had  kept  our 
hunters  occupied  until  late,  and  they  slept 
out,  but  rejoined  us  at  daybreak,  when, 
finding  ourselves  only  about  a  mile  from  the 
river,  we  followed  the  ravine  down,  and 
camped  in  a  cotton-wood  grove  on  a  beauti- 
ful grassy  bottom,  where  our  animals  in- 
demnified themselves  for  the  scanty  fare  of 
the  past  night.  It  was  quite  a  pretty  and 
pleasant  place ;  a  narrow  strip  of  prairie 
about  five  hundred  yards  long  terminated  at 
the  ravine  where  we  entered  by  high  precip- 
itous hills  closing  in  upon  the  river,  and 
at  the  upper  end  by  a  ridge  of  low  rolling 
hills. 

In  the  precipitous  bluffs  were  displayed  a 
succession  of  strata  containing  fossil  vege- 
table remains,  and  several  beds  of  coal.  In 
some  of  the  beds  the  coal  did  not  appear  to 
be  perfectly  mineralized ;  and  in  some  of 
the  seams,  it  was  compact  and  remarkably 
lustrous.  In  these  latter  places  there  were 
also  thin  layers  of  a  very  fine  white  salts, 
in  powder.  As  we  had  a  large  supply  of 
meat  in  the  camp,  which  it  was  necessary 
to  dry,  and  the  surrounding  country  appear- 
ed to  be  well  stocked  with  buffalo,  which  it 
was  probable,  after  a  day  or  two,  we  would 
not  see  again  until  onr  return  to  the  Missis- 
sippi waters,  I  determined  to  make  here  a 
provision  of  dried  meat,  which  would  be  ne- 
cessary for  our  subsistence  in  the  region  we 
were  about  entering,  which  was  said  to  be 
nearly  destitute  of  game.  Scaffolds  were 
accordingly  soon  erected,  fires  made,  and 


70 


CAPT.  FREMDNT'S  NARRATIVE. 


fha  meat  out  into  thin  slices  to  be  dr'.ed ; 
und  all  were  busily  occupied,  when  the  jamp 
was  thrown  into  a  sudden  tumult,  by  a 
charge  from  about  70  mounted  Indians,  over 
the  low  hills  at  the  upper  end  of  the  little 
bottom.  Fortunately,  the  guarr",  who  was 
between  them  and  our  animal.°^,  had  caught 
a  glimpse  of  an  Indian'^  heat',  as  he  raised 
himself  in  his  stirrups  to  look  over  the  hill, 
a  moment  before  he  made  the  charge  ;  and 
succeeded  in  turning  the  b.'>nd  into  the  camp, 
as  the  Indians  charged  into  the  bottom  with 
the  usual  jell.  Before  t'ley  reached  us,  the 
grove  on  tlie  verge  <f  '.he  little  bottom  was 
occupied  by  our  pejple,  and  the  Indians 
brought  to  a  sudde.i  halt,  which  they  made 
in  time  to  save  tiiem selves  from  a  howitzer 
shot,  which  would  undoubtedly  have  been 
very  effective  in  sucl  a  compact  b;>dy  ;  and 
fuither  proceedings  were  interrupted  by 
their  #igns  for  poace.  They  proved  to  be  a 
war  party  of  Arapabo  and  Cheyenne  In- 
dians and  informed  us  that  they  had  charged 
apon  the  camp  under  tue  belief  that  we  were 
nostilf!  Indians,  and  liad  discovered  their 
nisiake  only  at  the  moment  of  the  attack 
—an  excuse  which  policy  required  us  to  re- 
jeive  as  true,  though  under  the  full  convic- 
don  that  the  disj  lay  of  our  little  houilzer, 
tnd  our  favorable  position  in  the  grove,  cer- 
tainly saved  our  horses,  and  probably  our- 
selves, from  their  marauding  inteii''ons. 
They  had  been  on  a  war  party,  and  hud 
6eeu  dofealod  riiul  were  conijcquently  in  the 
state  of  mind  wliich  aggravates  their  innate 
thirst  for  plunder  and  blood.  Their  excuse, 
however,  was  taken  in  good  part,  and  tiie 
nsual  evidences  of  friendship  interchanged. 
The  pipe  went  round,  provisioiib  were 
spread,  and  the  tobacco  and  goods  furnished 
the  customary  presents,  wiiicli  they  look 
for  even  from  traders,  and  much  more  from 
government  authorities. 

They  were  returning  from  an  expedition 
against  the  Shoshonee  Indians,  one  of  whose 
villages  they  had  surprised,  at  Bridger's 
fort,  on  Ham's  fork  of  Green  river,  (in  the 
absence  of  the  men,  who  were  engaged  in 
an  antelope  surround,)  and  succeeded  in 
carrying  off  their  horses  and  taking  several 
ecalps.  News  of  the  attack  reached  the 
Snakes  immediately,  who  pursued  and 
overtook  them,  and  recovered  their  horses; 
and,  in  the  running  fight  which  ensued,  the 
Arapahos  had  lost  several  men  killed,  and 
a  number  wounded,  who  were  coming  on 
more  slowly  with  a  party  in  the  rear. 
Nearly  all  the  horses  tlioy  had  brought  off 
were  the  property  of  tlic  wiiites  at  the 
fort.  After  remaining  until  nearly  aunsct, 
they  look  their  departure;  and  the  excite- 
ment which  their  arrival  liad  afforded  sub- 
■ided  into  our  usual  quiet,  a  little  enlivened 
by  the  vigilance  rendered  necessary  by  the 


neighborhood  of  our  uncertain  visiten, 
At  noon  the  thermometer  was  at  750,  at 
sunset  70°,  and  the  evening  clear.  Eleva- 
tion above  the  sea  6,820  feet ;  latitude  41o 
36'  00"  ;  longitude  107°  22'  27". 

August  6. — At  sunrise  the  thermometer 
was  460,  the  morning  being  clear  and 
calm.  We  travelled  to-day  over  an  ex- 
tremely rugged  country,  barren  and  un. 
inte:  osting — nothing  to  be  seen  but  arte- 
misia  bushes ;  and,  in  the  evening,  fu^nd  a 
grassy  spot  among  the  hills,  kept  green  by 
several  springs,  where  we  encamped  late. 
Within  a  <"  w  hundred  yards  was  a  very 
pretty  lit'le  stream  of  clear  cool  water, 
whose  gr'  en  ;  nks  looked  refreshing  among 
the  dry  ck  iiills.  The  hunters  brought 
in  a  fat  k.iountain  sheep,  {ovis  montana,) 

Our  road  the  next  day  was  through  a 
continued   and    dense   field    ot    artemisk, 
which  now  entirely  covered  the  country  in 
such  a  luxuriant  growth  that  it  was  difficult 
and  laborious  for  a  man  on  foot  to  force  his 
way  through,  and  nearly  impracticable  for 
our  light  carriages      The   region  throuffh 
whicli   we    were    travelling  was    a    high 
plateau,  constituting  the  dividing  ridge  be- 
tween the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pa- 
ciiic  oceans,  and  extending  to  a  considera- 
ble distance  southward,  from  the  neighbor- 
hood  of  the  Table   rock,  at  the  southern 
side  of  tiie  South  Pass.     Though  broken 
up  into  rugged  and  rocky  hills  of  a  dry  and 
barren  nature,  it  has  nothing  of  a  moun- 
tainous character  ;  the  small  streams  which 
occasionally  occur  belonging  neither  to  the 
Platte  nor  the  Colorado,  but  losing  them- 
selves either  in  the  sand  or  in  small  lakes. 
From    an    eminence,   in   tlie   afternoon,  a 
mountainous  range   became  visible  in  the 
north,    in    which    were    recognised    some 
rocky  peaks  belonging  to  the  range  of  the 
Sweet  Water  valley ;  and,  determining  to 
abandon   any  further   attempt   to   struggle 
through  this  almost  impracticable  country, 
we  turned  our  course  directly  north,  towards 
a  pass  in  the  valley  of  the  Sweet  Water 
river.     A  shaft  of  the    gun-carriage  was 
broken  during  the  afternoon,  causing  a  con- 
siderable delay ;  and  it  was  late  in  an  un- 
pleasant  evening   before  we  succeeded  in 
finding  a  very   poor    encampment,  where 
there  was  a  little  water  in  a  deep  trench  of 
a  creek,  and  some  scanty  grass  among  the 
shrubs.     All  the  game  hero  consisted  in  a 
few  straggling  buffalo  bulls,  and  during  the 
day  there    had    been  but  very  little  grass, 
except  in  .some  green  spots  where  it  had 
f'olleeted  around  springs  or  shallow  lakes. 
Within  fifty  miles  of  tiic  Sweet  Water,  the 
country  changed  into  a  vast  saline  plain,  in 
many  places  extremely  level,  occasionally 
resembling  the   flat  .sandy  beds  of  shallow 
lakes.     Here  the  vegetation  consisted  of  a 


(1841 

certain    visiteti, 

was  at  750,  »t 
g  clear.  Elera. 
3et ;  latitude  4ia 
J'  27". 

the  thermcmeter 
eing  clear  and 
ay  over  an  ex- 
barren  and  un. 
5  seen  but  arte- 
evening,  fd^md  a 
s,  kept  green  by 
!  encamped  late, 
rds  was  a  very 
ear  cool  water, 
refreshing  among 
hunters  brought 
vis  montana.) 

was  through  a 
d  ot  artemisia, 
d  the  country  in 
at  it  was  diificuit 

foot  to  force  his 
mpracticable  for 

region  through 
ig  was  a  high 
ividing  ridge  be- 
Ltlantic  a,nd  Pa- 

I  to  a  considera- 
m  the  neighbor- 
at  the  southern 
Though  broken 
ills  of  a  dry  and 
ling  of  a  moun- 

II  streams  which 
g  neither  to  the 
ut  losing  them- 

in  small  lakes. 

16  afternoon,  a 
1  visible  in  the 
ecognised  some 
he  range  of  the 

determining  to 
npt  to  struggle 
iticable  country, 
y  north,  towards 

Sweet  Water 
un-carriage  was 
1,  causing  a  con' 
$  late  in  an  un- 
le  succeeded  in 
mpment,  where 
;i  deep  trench  of 
frass  among  the 
consisted  in  a 

and  during  the 
cry  little  grass, 
.s  where  it  had 

shallow  lakes, 
veet  Water,  the 

saline  plain,  in 
el,  occasionally 
beds  of  shallow 

consisted  of  a 


1M3. 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ihrubby  growth,  among  which  were  several 
tarieties  ot  chenopodiaceous  plants ;  but 
llie  characieristic  shrub  was  Fremontia 
ftrmicularis,  with  smaller  saline  shrubs 
powing  with  singular  luxuriance,  and  in 
many  placf.s  holding  exclusive  possession 
of  the  ground. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fl«h,  we  encamped 
(D  one  of  these  fresh-watpr  lakes,  which 
(he  traveller  c(  -iders  himself  fortiiiiate  to 
Jnd ;  and  the  .1  \t  day,  in  latitude  by  ob- 
servation 42°  20'  06",  halted  to  noon  im- 
mediately at  the  foot  of  the  southern  side 
jf  the  range  which  walls  in  the  Sweet 
Water  valley,  on  the  head  of  a  small  tribu- 
ury  to  that  river. 

Continuing  in  the  afternoon  our  course 
down  the  stream,  which  here  cuts  directly 
ihrough  the  ridge,  forming  a  very  practica- 
ble pass,  we  entered  the  valley;  and,  after 
1  march  of  about  nine  miles,  encamped  on 
our  familiar  river,  endeared  to  us  by  the 
icquaintance  of  the  previous  expedition ; 
ihe  night  having  already  closed  in  with  a 
cold  rain-storm.  Our  camp  was  about 
twenty  miles  above  the  Devil's  gate,  which 
ive  had  been  able  to  see  in  coming  down 
ihe  plain ;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  night, 
ihe  clouds  broke  away  around  Jupiter  for  a 
short  time,  during  which  we  obtained  an 
emersion  of  the  first  satellite,  the  result 
of  which  agreed  very  nearly  with  the 
chronometer,  giving  for  the  mean  longitude 
1070  50'  07"  ;  elevation  above  the  sea  6,0 10 
feet ;  and  distance  from  St.  Vrain's  fort,  by 
the  road  we  had  just  travelled,  315  miles. 

Here  passes  the  road  to  Oregon  ;  and 
the  broad  smooth  highway,  where  the  nu- 
merous heavy  wagons  of  the  emigrants 
had  entirely  beaten  and  crushed  the  arte- 
raisia,  was  a  happy  exchange  to  our  poor 
animals  for  the  sharp  rocks  and  tough 
ihnibs  among  which  they  had  been  toiling 
long;  and  we  moved  up  the  valley 
Kipidly  and  pleasantly.  With  very  little 
ievialion  from  our  route  of  the  preceding 
vear,  we  continued  up  the  valley ;  and  on 
lie  evening  of  the  12th  encamped  on  the 
Sweet  Water,  at  a  point  where  the  road 

irns  off  to  cross  to  the  plains  of  Green 

■ver.  The  increased  coolness  of  the 
weather  indicated  that  we  had  attained  a 

fpat  elevation,  which  the  barometer  here 
[kiioil  at  7,220  feet ;  and  during  the  night 
water  froze  in  the  lodge. 

The  morning  of  the  13th  was  clear  and 
cold,  there  being  a  white  frost;  and  the 
thermometer,  a  little  before  sunrise,  stand- 
ing at  26.5°.  Leaving  this  encampment, 
(our  last  on  the  waters  which  flow  towards 
ine  rising  sun.)  we  took  cur  way  along  the 
iii.laDC.  to'^aras-  an  divicina  ^"(ige  w-hich 
«eparates  the  Atlantic  Iroai  the  Pacific 
waters,  and  crossed  it  by  a  road  some  miles 


further  south  than  the  cne  we  had  followed 
on  our  return  in  1842.  We  crossed  very 
near  the  table  mountain,  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  South  Pass,  which  is 
near  twenty  miles  in  width,  and  already 
traversed  by  several  different  roads.  Se- 
lecting as  well  as  I  could,  in  the  scarcely 
distinguishable  ascent,  what  might  be  con- 
sidered the  dividing  ridge  in  this  remarka- 
ble depression  in  the  mountain,  I  took  a 
barometrical  observation,  which  gave  7,490 
feet  for  the  elevation  above  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  You  will  remember  Hiat,  in  my 
report  of  1812,  I  estimated  the  elevation  of 
this  pass  at  about  7,(iO0  feet ;  a  correct  ob- 
servation with  a  good  barometer  enables 
me  now  to  give  it  with  more  precision. 
Its  importance,  as  t'le  groat  gate  through) 
which  crmmerce  ard  travelling  may  here- 
after pass  between  the  valley  of  the  Mis-- 
sissippi  and  the  north  Pacific,  justifies  a< 
precise  notice  of  its  locality  and  distance  1 
from  leading  points,  in  addition  to  thiet 
statement  of  its  elevation.  As  stated  iui 
the  report  of  1842,  its  latitude  at  the  point 
where  we  crossed  is  42°  24'  32"  ;  its  'ongi- 
tude  1090  26'  00";  its  uioVince  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Kansas,  by  the  common  trav- 
elling route,  962  miles  ;  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Great  Platte,  along  the  valley  of  that 
river,  according  to  our  survey  of  1842, 
882  miles ;  and  its  distance  fiom  St.  Louis 
about  400  miles  more  by  the  Kansas,  and 
about  700  by  the  Great  Platte  route  ;  these 
additions  being  steamboat  conveyance  in 
both  instances.  From  this  pass  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Oregon  is  about  1,400  miles 
by  the  common  travelling  route ;  so  that, 
under  a  general  point  of  view,  it  may  be 
assumed  to  be  about  half  way  between  the 
Mississippi  and  the  Pacific  ocean,  on  the 
common  travelling  route.  Following  a 
hollow  of  slight  and  easy  descent,  in 
which  was  very  soon  formed  a  little  tribu- 
tary to  the  Gulf  of  California,  (for  the  waters 
which  flow  west  from  the  South  Pass  go  to 
this  gulf,)  we  made  our  usual  halt  four 
miles  from  the  pass,  in  latitude  by  observa- 
tion 42'^  19'  53".  Entering  here  the  valley 
of  Green  river — the  great  Colorado  of  the 
West — and  inclining  very  much  to  the 
southward  along  the  streams  which  form 
the  Sandy  river,  the  road  led  for  several 
days  over  dry  and  level  uninteresting 
plains ;  to  which  a  low,  scrubby  growth  of 
artemisia  gav  a  uniform  dull  grayish  color; 
and  on  the  evening  of  the  15th  we  en- 
camped in  the  Mexican  territory,  on  the  left 
bank  of  Green  river,  69  miles  from  the 
South  Pass,  in  longitude  1 10°  05'  05",  and 
latitude  41^  53'  54",  distant  1,031  miles 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas.  This  is 
the  emigrant  road  to  Oregon,  which  bears 
much  to  the  southward,  to  avoid  the  raoiio* 


■H 


n 


OAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ri84t. 


about  the   western  heads  of  Grrrn 
rirer — the  Rio  Verde  of  the  Spaniards. 

August  16.--Ci<>ssing  the  river,  here 
about  400  feet  wide,  by  a  very  good  lord, 
we  continued  to  descend  for  seven  or  eight 
miles  on  a  pleasant  road  along  the  right 
bank  of  the  stream,  of  which  the  islands 
and  shores  are  handsomely  timbered  wiih 
cotton-wood.  The  refreshing  appearance  of 
the  broad  river,  with  its  timbered  shores 
and  green  wooded  islands,  in  contrast  to  its 
dry  sandy  plains,  probably  obtained  for  it  the 
name  of  Green  river,  which  was  bestowed 
on  it  by  the  Spaniards  who  first  came  into 
this  country  to  trade  some  25  years  ago.  It 
was  then  familiarly  known  as  the  Seeds-ke- 
dee-agie,  or  Praiiie  Ilea  {tctrao  urophasi- 
anus)  river ;  a  name  which  it  received  from 
the  Crows,  to  whom  its  upper  wattrs  be- 
long, and  on  which  this  bird  is  still  very 
abundant.  By  the  ShoBhonoe  and  Utah 
Indians,  to  whom  belongs,  ior  a  considerable 
distance  bolow,  the  couuJry  whore  we  were 
now  travelling,  it  was  ctl'ed  the  Bitter 
Root  river,  from  tlie  pi  cat  ;i.i'Undanco  in  its 
valley  of  a  plant  which  .ilili-ds  ihciii  our  oij 
their  favorite  roots.  Lower  down,  fii  ai  | 
Brown's  hole  to  the  southnard,  tlie  riv  ' 
runs  through  lofiy  chasms,  walled  in  by  pro- 
ffipices  of  red  rock ;  and  even  among  tht; 
wilder  tribes  who  inhaMt  that  portion  of  its 
course,  I  have  heard  it  called  by  Imiian 
refwgijfs  from  the  CalifoiMian  scttloiiients 
the  }{io  CvhradG.  We  halted  to  noon  at 
the  npper  ei"I  of  a  large  bottom,  near  some 
old  houses,  v, irich  had  been  a  trading  post, 
in  latitude  41°  16'  54".  At  this  place  the 
elevatior;  of  th(  river  above  the  t^oa  is 
6,230  feet.  Thai  of  Lewis's  fork  oi  the 
Columbia  at  Fort  H.ili  is,  according  to  our 
subsequent  observations,  4,500  feet.  The 
descent  of  each  stream  i-  .'apid,  but  that  of 
the  Colorado  is  but  littk  known,  and  that 
little  derived  from  vague  .eport.  Three 
hundred  miles  of  its  lower  part,  as  it  ap- 
proaches the  gulf  of  California,  is  reported 
to  be  smooth  ^nd  tranquil ;  but  its  upper 
part  is  manifestly  broken  into  many  falls 
and  rapids.  From  many  descriptions  of 
trappers,  it  is  probable  that  in  its  foaming 
course  among  its  lofty  precipices  it  presents 
many  scenes  of  wild  grandeur  ;  and  though 
offering  many  temptations,  and  often  dis- 
cussed, no  trappers  have  been  found  bold 
enough  to  undertake  a  voyage  which  has  so 
certain  a  prospect  of  a  fatal  termination. 
The  Indians  have  strange  stories  of  beauti- 
ful valleys  abounding  wiUi  beaver,  shut  up 
among  inaccessible  walls  of  rock  in  the  lower 
course  of  the  river  ;  and  to  which  tiie  neigh- 
boring Indians,  in  their  occasional  wars  with 
the  Spaniards,  and  among  themselves,  drive 
their  herds  of  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep, 
leaving  them  to  pasture  in  perfect  security. 


The  road  here  leaves  the  river,  whioh 
bends  considerably  to  the  east ;  and  in  the 
afternoon  we  resumed  our  westerly  course 
passing  ovtr  .v  somewhat  high  and  broken 
country  ;  ari'l  about  sunset,  after  a  day's 
travel  of  26  i.iiles,  reached  Black's  fork  ot 
the  Green  river — a  shallow  stream,  with  a 
somewhat  sluggish  current,  about  120  feet 
wide,  timbered  principally  with  willow,  and 
here  and  there  an  occasional  large  tree.  At 
3  in  the  morning  I  obtained  an  observation 
^S  an  emersion  of  the  first  satellite  of  Jupj. 
ter,  with  other  observations.  The  heavy 
wagons  have  so  completely  pulverized  the 
soil,  that  cloud-s  of  fine  light  dust  are  raised 
by  th'.  slightest  wind,  making  the  road 
sometimes  very  disagreealde. 

August  17. — Leaving  our  encampnietti 
at  6  in  the  morning,  we  travelled  along  tlii 
bottom,  which  is  about  two  iniles  wid» 
bordered  by  low  Jiilis,  in  whicii  the  strat 
contained  handsome  and  very  distinct  voge 
table  fossils.  In  a  gidly  a  short  distano 
farther  up  the  river,  and  underlying  llisse 
was  exposed  a  stratum  of  an  impure  oi 
i^rgillacouus  limestone.  Crossing  on  the 
way  Black's  fork,  w!iere  it  is  one  foot  deep 
'uid  <(.!-ty  wide,  witli  clear  water  and  a 
•lebbij  bed,  in  nine  miles  we  reached  Ham's 
iu  I  .  a  tribouiry  to  the  former  stream,  hav 
in;.;  low  about  sixty  feet  breadth,  and  a  few 
iuclies  deplh  of  water.  It  is  wooded  witb 
llackets  of  red  willow,  and  in  the  bottom  k 
a  tolerably  strong  growth  of  grass.  The 
road  here  makes  a  traverse  of  twelve  miles 
across  a  bend  of  the  river.  Passing  in  the 
way  some  remarkable  hills,  two  or  three 
hundred  feet  high,  with  frequent  and  nearly 
vertical  escarpments  of  a  green  stone,  con- 
sisting of  an  argillaceous  carbonate  of  lime, 
alternating  witii  strata  of  an  iron-brown 
limestone,  and  worked  into  picturesque 
forms  by  wind  and  rain,  at  2  in  the  after- 
noon we  reached  the  river  again,  having 
made  to-day  21  miles.  Since  crossing  the 
ffreat  dividing  ridge  of  the  Rocky  moun 
lains,  plants  have  been  very  few  in  variety, 
the  country  being  covered  principally  with 
artemisia. 

August  18. — We  passed  on  the  road,  this 
morning,  the  grave  of  one  of  the  emigrants, 
being  the  second  we  had  seen  since  falling 
into  their  trail ;  and  halted  to  noon  on  tiie 
river,  a  short  distance  above. 

The  Shoshonee  woman  took  leave  of  us 
here,  expecting  to  find  some  of  her  relations 
at  Bridger's  fort,  which  is  only  a  mile  or 
two  distant,  on  a  fork  of  this  stream.  In 
the  evening  we  encamped  on  a  salt  creek, 
about  fifteen  feet  wide,  having  tc-day  trav- 
elled 32  miles. 

I  obtained  an  emersion  of  the  first  satel- 
lite under  favorable  circumstances,  the  night 
being  still  and  clear. 


1843.] 


the  river,  whiok 
east ;  and  in  the 
westerly  course, 
high  and  broken 
let,  after  a  day's 
d  Black's  fork  ot 
w  stream,  with  a 
It,  about  120  feet 
with  willow,  and 
lal  large  tree.  At 
d  an  observation 
satellite  of  Jupi- 
ns.  The  heavy 
\y  pulverized  the 
It  dust  are  raised 
lakiiig  the  road 
le. 

our  encampaie* 

LveUf'd  along  tlK 

wo    luiles  wid» 

whicii  the  strat 

;ry  distinct  v-^ge 

a  short  distant 

inderlying  tliese 

•f  an   inipuff;  oi 

I!rossing  on   ihe 

is  one  foot  deep 

ar  water   and  a 

B  reached  Ham's 

iier  stream,  hav 

eadth,  and  a  feu 

is  wooded  with 

in  the  bottom  k 

of  grass.     The 

!  of  twelve  miles 

Passing  in  the 

Is,  two  or  three 

quent  and  nearly 

freen  stone,  con- 

irbonate  of  lime, 

an   iron-brown 

nto    picturesque 

t  2  in  the  after- 

sr  again,  having 

ice  crossing  the 

e  Rocky  moun 

Y  few  in  variety, 

principally  with 

on  the  road,  this 
)f  the  emigrants, 
len  since  falling 
i  to  noon  on  tiie 
e. 

ook  leave  of  us 
3  of  her  relations 
only  a  mile  or 
his  stream.  In 
on  a  salt  creek, 
'ing  to-day  Irav- 

f  the  first  satel- 
tances,  the  night 


1648.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


One  of  our  mules  died  here,  and  in  this 
portion  of  our  journey  we  lost  six  or  seven 
of  our  animals.  The  grass  which  the 
tocntry  had  lately  afforded  was  very  poor 
ind  insufficient ;  and  animals  which  have 
been  accustomed  to  grain  become  soon 
feak  and  unable  to  labor,  when  reduced  to 
no  other  nourishment  than  grass.  The 
American  horses  (as  those  are  usually 
etlled  which  are  brought  to  this  country 
ffom  the  Slateti)  are  not  of  any  serviceable 
»aiue  ynti!  after  thpy  have  remained  a 
vintti  in  the  country,  and  become  ac- 
{istcn;-".*  to  live  entire!)  on  grass. 

AugksC  19. — Desi>fiij  ■  »o  avoid  every  de- 
i,i\r  net  abjo'utrl',  nec<s*;<.r ,-,  I  sent  on  Car- 
joii  in  advancr-  to  F'-r'.  ! fall  this  morning, 
to  r  ;ake  arrangements  for  a  small  supply 
of  jnovisions-  A  few  miles  from  our  en- 
campment, the  road  entered  a  high  ridge, 
which  the  trappers  called  the  "  little  moun- 
i,«n,"  connecting  tl  li  Uls.a  with  the  Wind 
mer  chain  ;  and  in  one  of  the  hills  near 
which  w.^.  passed  I  remarked  strata  of  a 
tonglomeraii  'nnatlun,  fragments  of  which 
were  B'?attereci  over  the  surface.  We  cross- 
ed a  ridge  of  this  conglomerate,  the  road 
passing  near  a  grove  of  low  cedar,  and  de- 
scended upon  one  of  the  heads  of  Ham's 
fork,  called  Muddy,  where  we  made  our 
mid-day  halt.  In  the  river  hills  at  this  place, 
1  discovered  strata  of  fossilliferous  rock, 
having  an  oolitic  structure,  which,  in  con- 
nection with  the  neighboring  strata,  autho- 
rize us  to  believe  that  here,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  we  find  re- 
peated the  modern  formations  of  Great  Bri- 
tain and  Europe,  which  have  hitherto  been 
wanting  to  complete  the  system  of  North 
American  geology. 

In  the  afternoon  we  continued  our  road, 
and,  searching  among  the  hills  a  few  miles 
ip  the  stream,  and  on  the  same  bank,  I  dis- 
covered, among  alternating  beds  of  coal  and 
day,  a  stratum  of  white  indurated  clay, 
tontaining  very  clear  and  beavtiful  impres- 
sions of  vegetable  remains.  This  was  the 
nost  interesting  fossil  locality  I  had  met  in 
Ihe  country,  and  I  deeply  regretted  that 
time  did  not  permit  me  to  remain  a  day  or 
two  in  the  vicinity  ;  but  I  could  not  antici- 
pate the  delays  to  which  I  might  be  exposed 
in  the  course  of  our  journey-'— or,  rather,  I 
knew  that  they  were  many  and  inevitable  ; 
and  after  remaining  here  only  about  an  hour, 
I  hurried  off,  loaded  with  as  many  speci- 
mens as  I  could  conveniently  carry. 

Coal  made  its  appearance  occasionally  in 
the  hills  during  the  afternoon,  and  was  dis- 
played in  rabbit  burrows  in  a  kind  of  gap, 
through  which  we  passed  over  some  high 
hills,  and  we  descended  to  make  our  en- 
campment on  the  same  stream,  where  we 
found  but  very  poor  grass.     In  the  evening 


a  fine  cow,  with  her  calf,  which  had  strayed 
off  from  some  emigrant  party,  were  found 
several  miles  from  the  road,  and  brought 
into  camp ;  and  as  she  gave  an  abundance 
of  milk,  we  enjoyed  to-night  an  excellent 
cup  of  coffee.  We  travelled  to-day  28 
miles,  and,  as  has  been  usual  since  crossing 
the  Green  river,  the  road  has  been  very 
dusty,  and  the  weather  smoky  and  oppres- 
sively hot.  Artemisia  was  characteristic 
among  the  few  plants. 

August  20. — We  continued  to  travel  up 
the  creek  by  a  very  gradual  ascent  and  a 
very  excellent  grassy  road,  passing  on  the 
way  several  small  forks  of  the  stream.   The 
hills  here  are   higher,   presenting   escarp- 
ments of  parti-colored  and  apparently  clay 
rocks,  purple,  dark  red,  and  yellow,  con- 
taining strata  of  sandstone  and   limestone 
with  shells,  with  a  bed  of  cemented  pebbles, 
the  whole  overlaid  by  beds  ^'f  iimostone. 
The  alternation  of  red  and  yellow  gives  a 
bright  appearance  to  the  hills,  one  of  which 
was  called  by  our  people  the  Rainbow  hill ; 
and  the  character  of  the  country  became 
more   agreeable,    and   travelling   far  more 
pleasant,  as  now  we  found  timber  and  very 
good  grass.  Gradually  ascending,  we  reach- 
ed the  lower  level  of  a  bed  of  white  lime- 
stone, lying  upon  a  white  clay,  on  the  upper 
line  of  which  the  whole  road  is  abundantly 
supplied  with  beautiful  cool  springs,  gushing 
out  a  foot  ill  breadth  and   several   inches 
deep,  directly  from  the  hill  side.     At  noon 
we  halted  at  the  last  main  fork  of  the  creek, 
at  an  elevation  of  7,200  feet,  and  in  latitude, 
by  observation,  41°  39'  45";  and  in  the  af- 
ternoon  continued   on   the  same  excellent 
road,  up  the  left  or  northern  fork  of  the 
stream,  towards  its  head,  in  a  pass  which 
the  barometer  placed  at  8,230  feet  above 
the  sea.      This  is  a  connecting  ridge  be- 
tween the  Utah  or  Bear  river  mountains 
and  the  Wind  river  chain  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  separating  the   waters  of  the 
gulf  of  California  on  the  east,  and  those  on 
the  west  belonging  more  directly  to  the  Pa- 
cific, from  a  vast  interior  basin  whose  rivers 
are  collected   into  numerous  lakes  having 
no  outlet  to  the  ocean.     From  the  summit 
of  this  pass,  the  highest  which  the   road 
crosses   between   the   Mississippi   and   th« 
Western  ocean,  our  view  was  over  a  very 
mountainous  region,  whose  rugged  appear- 
atce  was  greatly  increased  by  the  smoky 
weather,  tlirough  vvhich  the  broken  ridges 
were  dark  and  dimly  seen.     The  ascent  to 
the  summit   of  the   gap  was  occasionally 
steeper  than  the  national  road  in  the  AUe- 
ghanies  ;  and  the  descent,  by  way  of  a  bpur 
on  the  western  side,  is  rather  precipitous, 
but  the  pass  may  still  be  called  a  good  one. 
Some  thickets  of  willow  in  the  hollows  be« 
low^  deceived  us  into  the  expectation  of 


i  tl 


>;'  1 


M 


f.'APT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ri84l. 


I/. 


findings  a  camp  at  our  usual  honr  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  ;  hut  wo  found  thoni  with- 
out water,  and  continued  down  a  ravine, 
and  encamped  about  dark  at  a  ]>lace  where 
the  springs  apain  began  to  make  their  ap- 
pearance, but  wliero  our  animals  fared  bad- 
ly ;  the  stock  of  tlio  emigrants  having  razed 
the  grass  as  completely  as  if  we  were  again 
in  the  midst  of  the  hiilfaU). 

August  31. — An  hour\s  travel  this  morn- 
ing brought  UvS  into  \\w.  fertile  and  pictu- 
resque valley  of  Hear  river,  the  principal 
tributary  to  the  (Jreat  Salt  lake.  The 
stream  is  here  200  feet  wide,  fringed  with 
willows  and  occasional  groups  of  hawthorns. 
We  were  now  entering  a  region  which  for 
us  possessed  a  strange  and  e.vlraordinary 
interest.  We  were  upon  the  waters  of  the 
famous  lake  which  forms  a  salient  point 
among  the  remarkable  geographical  features 
of  the  country,  and  iiround  whicli  tlie  vague 
and  superstitious  accounts  ol'  llie  trai)pers 
had  thrown  a  delightful  oIim  iirity,  which 
we  anticipated  pleasure  in  i'L-^jx^liing,  but 
which,  in  the  mean  time,  k  I'l  a  crowded 
field  for  the  exercise  of  our  imagination. 

In  our  occasional  conversations  with  the 
few  old  hunters  who  had  visited  the  region, 
it  had  been  a  subject  of  frequent  specula- 
tion; and  the  wonders  which  they  related 
were  not  the  less  agreeable  because  they 
were  highly  exaggerated  and  impossible. 

Hitherto  this  lake  had  been  seen  only  by 
tri4)pers  who  were  wandering  through  the 
oountry  in  search  of  new  beaver  streams, 
oaring  very  little  for  geography ;  its  islands 
had  r.sver  been  visited ;  and  none  were  to 
be  fonnd  who  had  entirely  made  the  circuit 
of  its  shores ;  and  no  instrumental  observa- 
tions or  geographical  survey,  of  any  de- 
scription, had  ever  been  made  anywhere  in 
'the  neighboring  region.  It  was  generally 
supposed  that  it  had  no  visible  outlet ;  but 
among  the  trappers,  including  those  in  my 
own  camp,  were  many  who  believed  that 
somewhere  on  its  surface  was  a  terrible 
whirlpool,  through  which  its  waters  found 
tiieir  way  to  the  ocean  by  some  subterra- 
nean communication.  All  these  things  had 
made  a  frequent  subject  of  discussion  in  our 
desultory  conversations  around  the  fires  at 
night ;  and  my  own  mind  had  become  toler- 
ably well  filled  with  their  indefinite  pictures, 
and  insensibly  colored  with  their  romantic 
descriptions,  which,  in  the  pleasure  of  ex- 
citement, I  was  well  disposed  to  believe, 
and  half  expected  to  realize. 

Where  we  descended  into  this  beautiful 
valley,  it  is  three  to  four  miles  in  breadth, 
perfectly  level,  and  bounded  by  mountainous 
ridges,  one  above  another,  rising  suddenly 
from  the  plain. 

We  continued  our  road  down  the  river, 
•nd  at  night  encamped  with  a  family  of  emi- 


grants— two  men,  women,  and  several  chil 
dren — who  appeared  to  be  bringing  up  th« 
rear  of  the  great  caravan.  I  was  struck 
with  the  fine  appearance  of  tiioir  cattle 
some  six  or  eight  yoke  of  oxen,  which  really 
looked  as  well  as  if  tiiuy  had  been  all  the 
summer  at  work  on  some  good  farm.  It 
was  htrange  to  see  one  small  fam'ly  travel, 
ling  along  through  such  a  country,  so  remote 
t'rom  civilization.  Some  nine  years  since, 
such  a  security  might  have  been  a  fatal  one; 
but  since  their  disastrous  defeats  in  the 
country  a  little  north,  the  Ulackfeet  have 
ceased  to  visit  these  waters.  Indians,  how- 
ever, are  very  uncertain  in  their  localities; 
and  the  friendly  feelings,  also,  of  those  now 
inhabiting  it  may  be  changed. 

According  to  barometrical  observation  ai 
noon,  the  elevation  of  the  valley  was  6,400 
feet  above  the  sea ;  and  our  encampment  at 
night  ill  latitude  452°  03'  47",  and  longitude 
111°  10  53",  by  observation— the  day'i 
journey  having  been  26  miles.  This  en- 
canijinient  was  therefore  wiihin  the  territo- 
rial limit  of  the  United  States  ;  our  travel- 
ling, from  the  time  we  entered  the  valley  of 
the  Green  river,  on  the  15th  of  August, 
having  been  to  the  south  of  the  42d  degree 
of  north  latitude,  and  consequently  on  Mexi- 
can territory  ;  and  this  is  the  route  all  the 
emigrants  now  travel  to  Oregon. 

The  temperature  at  sunset  was  65°  ;  and 
at  evening  there  was  a  distant  thundei 
storm,  with  a  light  breeze  from  the  north. 

Antelope  and  elk  were  seen  during  the 
day  on  the  opposite  prairie  ;  and  there  were 
ducks  and  geese  in  the  river. 

The  next  morning,  in  about  three  mile6 
from  our  encampment,  we  reached  Smith's 
fork,  a  stream  of  clear  water,  about  50  feet 
in  breadth.  It  is  timbered  with  cotton-wood, 
willow,  and  aspen,  and  makes  a  beautifiil 
debouchement  through  a  pass  about  600 
yards  wide,  between  remarkable  mountain 
hills,  rising  abruptly  on  either  side,  and  form- 
ing gigantic  columns  to  the  gate  by  which  it 
enters  Bear  river  valley.  The  bottoms, 
which  below  Smith's  fork  had  been  two 
miles  wide,  narrowed,  as  we  advanced,  to  a 
gap  500  yards  wide  ;  and  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  day  we  had  a  winding  route,  the 
river  making  very  sharp  and  sudden  bends, 
the  mountains  steep  and  rocky,  and  the  val- 
ley occasionally  so  narrow  as  only  to  leave 
space  for  a  passage  through. 

We  made  our  halt  at  noon  in  a  fertile  bot- 
tom, where  the  common  blue  flax  was  grow- 
ing abundantly,  a  few  miles  below  the  mouth 
of  Tliomas's  fork,  one  of  the  larger  tribu- 
taries of  the  river. 

Crossing,  in  the  afternoon,  the  point  of  a 
narrow  spur,  we  descended  into  a  beautiful 
bottom,  formed  by  a  lateral  valley,  which 
presented  a  picture  of  home  beauty  tiiat 


ri84S. 

and  several  chil 
I  bringing  up  thi 
I.     I  was  struck 

of  tiioir  cattle, 

xen,  which  really 
had  been  all  the 
good  farm.  Ii 
ill  faniVly  travel- 
ountry,  so  remote 
line  years  since, 

been  a  fatal  one; 

1   defeats   in  the 

lilackfeet  have 

^.     Indians,  how- 

their  localities; 

Iso,  of  those  nou 
ed. 

al  observation  al 
valley  was  6,400 
ir  encampment  at 
7",  and  longitude 
ation — the  day'i 
miles.     This  en- 

iihin  the  territo- 
ites  ;  our  travel- 
ered  the  valley  of 

15th  of  August, 

f  the  42d  degree 

iquently  on  Mexi- 

the  route  all  the 

regon. 

let  was  650  ;  and 

distant   thundei 
from  the  north. 

seen  during  th« 
i ;  and  there  wen 
er. 
ibout  three  milet 

reached  Smith's 
ter,  about  50  feel 
with  cotton-wood, 
lakes  a  beautiiiil 

pass  about  6O0 
arkable  mountain 
ler  side,  and  form- 
B  gate  by  which  it 
The  bottoms. 
k.  had  been  two 
ve  advanced, to  a 
luring  the  greater 
vinding  route,  the 
nd  sudden  bends, 
)cky,  and  the  val- 
/  as  only  to  lean 

rh. 

>n  in  a  fertile  bot- 
ue  flax  was  grow- 
s  below  the  mouth 
the  larger  tribu- 

an,  the  point  of  a 
d  into  a  beautiful 
ral  valley,  which 
ome  beauty  tint 


IMS.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


tent  directly  to  our  hearts.  The  edge  of 
the  wood,  for  several  miles  along  the  river, 
fas  dotted  with  the  white  covers  of  emi- 
jraDt  wagons,  collected  in  groups  at  diffcr- 
iBt  camps,  where  the  smokes  were  rising 
litily  from  the  fires,  around  which  the  wo- 
men were  occupied  in  preparing  the  evening 
peal,  and  the  children  playing  in  the  grass  ; 
tnd  herds  of  cattle,  grazing  about  in  the  bot- 
tom, had  an  air  of  quiet  security,  and  eivil- 
iied  comfort,  that  made  a  rare  sight  for  the 
tntfeller  in  such  a  remote  wilderness. 

In  common  with  all  the  emigration,  they 
ted  been  reposing  for  several  days  in  this 
delightful  valley,  in  order  to  recruit  their 
loimals  on  its  luxuriant  pasturage  after  their 
long  journey,  and  prepare  them  for  the  hard 
travel  along  the  comparatively  sterile  banks 
of  the  Upper  Columbia.  At  the  lower  end 
of  this  extensive  bottom,  the  river  passes 
through  an  open  caflon,  where  there  were 
high  vertical  rocks  to  the  water's  edge,  and 
the  road  here  turns  up  a  broad  valley  to  the 
right.  It  was  already  near  sunset ;  but, 
hoping  to  reach  the  river  again  before  night, 
we  continued  our  march  along  the  valley, 
finding  the  road  tolerably  good,  until  we 
arrived  at  a  point  where  it  crosses  the  ridge 
Dy  an  ascent  of  a  mile  in  length,  which  was 
so  very  steep  and  difficult  for  the  gun  and 
carriage,  that  we  did  not  reach  the  summit 
antil  dark. 

It  was  absolutely  necessary  to  descend 
into  the  valley  for  water  and  grass  ;  and  we 
were  obliged  to  grope  our  way  in  the  dark- 
DBiis  down  a  very  steep,  bad  mountain,  reach- 
ing the  river  at  about  10  o'clock.  It  was 
late  before  our  animals  were  gathered  into 
camp,  several  of  those  which  were  very 
weak  being  necessarily  left  to  pass  the  night 
on  the  ridge ;  and  we  sat  down  again  to  a 
midnight  supper.  The  road,  in  the  morn- 
ing, presented  an  animated  appearance.  We 
foupd  that  we  had  encamped  near  a  large 
par-y  of  emigrants  ;  and  a  few  miles  below, 
another  party  was  already  in  motion.  Here 
the  valley  had  resumed  its  usual  breadth, 
and  the  river  swept  off  along  the  mountains 
on  the  western  side,  the  road  continuing  di- 
rectly on. 

In  about  an  hour's  travel  we  met  several 
Shoshonee  Indians,  who  informed  us  that 
they  belonged  to  a  large  village  which  had 
jast  come  into  the  valley  from  the  mountain 
to  the  westward,  where  they  had  been  hunt- 
ing antelope  and  gathering  seivice-berries. 
Glad  at  the  opportunity  of  seeing  one  of 
their  villages,  and  in  the  hope  of  purchasing 
from  them  a  few  horses,  I  turned  imme- 
diately off  into  the  plain  towards  their  en- 
campment, which  was  situated  on  a  small 
stream  near  the  river. 

We  had  approached  within  something 
Mie  than  a  mile  of  the  village,  when  sud- 


denly a  single  horseinaii  ciiiergod  from  it  at 
full  speed,  followed  by  ;inother,  and  another, 
in  rapid  succession  ;  and  then  party  after 
party  poured  into  tlu;  |)hiln,  until,  when  the 
foremost  rider  reached  us*,  all  ihe  whole  in- 
tervening plain  was  occupied  by  a  mass  of 
horsemen,  which  came  charging  down  upon 
us  with  guns  and  naked  swords,  lances,  and 
bows  and  arrows, — Indians  entirely  naked, 
and  warriors  fully  dressed  for  war,  with  the 
long  10(1  streamers  of  their  war  bonnets 
reaching  nearly  to  the  ground,  all  mingled 
together  in  the  bravery  of  savage  warfare. 
They  had  been  thrown  into  a  sudden  tumult 
by  the  appearance  of  our  flag,  which,  among 
these  pc()i)le,  is  regarded  as  an  emblem  of 
hostility — it  being  usually  borne  by  the 
Sioux,  ;iiul  the  neighboring  mountain  In- 
dians, when  they  come  here  to  war  ;  and 
we  had,  accordingly,  been  mistaken  for  a 
body  of  their  enemies.  A  few  words  frore 
the  chief  quieted  the  excitement ;  ami  the 
whole  band,  increasing  every  moment  ie 
number,  escorted  us  to  their  encampment 
where  the  chief  pointed  out  a  place  for  us  to 
encamp,  near  his  own  lodge,  and  made 
known  our  purpose  in  visiting  the  village. 
In  a  very  short  time  we  purchased  eight 
horses,  for  which  we  gave  in  exchange 
blankets,  red  and  blue  cloth,  beads,  knives, 
and  tobacco,  and  the  usual  other  articles  of 
Indian  traffic.  We  obtained  from  them  also 
a  considerable  quantity  of  berries  of  difTer- 
ent  kinds,  among  which  service-berries 
were  the  most  abundant ;  and  several  kinds 
of  roots  and  seeds,  which  we  could  eat  with 
pleasure,  as  any  kind  of  vegetable  food  was 
gratifying  to  us.  I  ate  here,  for  the  first 
time,  the  kooyah,  or  tobacco  root,  {caleriana 
edulis,)  the  principal  edible  root  among  the 
Indians  who  inhabit  the  upper  waters  of  the 
streams  on  the  western  side  of  the  moun- 
tains. It  has  a  very  strong  and  remarkably 
peculiar  taste  and  odor,  which  I  can  com- 
pere to  no  other  vegetable  that  I  am  ac- 
quainted with,  and  which  to  some  i>ersons  is 
extremely  offensive.  It  was  characterized 
by  Mr.  Preuss  as  the  most  horrid  food  he 
had  ever  put  in  his  mouth  ;  and  when,  in  the 
evening,  one  of  the  chiefs  sent  his  wife  to 
me  with  a  portion  which  she  had  prepared 
as  a  delicacy  to  regale  us,  the  odor  imme- 
diately drove  him  out  of  the  lodge  ;  and 
frequently  afterwards  he  used  to  beg  that 
when  those  who  liked  it  had  tiken  what  they 
desired,  it  might  be  sent  away.  I'o  others, 
however,  the  taste  is  rather  an  agreeable 
one  ;  and  I  was  afterwards  always  glad 
when  it  formed  an  addition  to  our  scanty 
meals.  It  is  full  of  nutriment ;  and  in  its 
unprepared  state  is  said  by  the  Indiana  to 
have  very  strong  poisonous  qualities,  of 
which  it  is  deprived  by  a  peculiar  proceB8» 
being  baked  in  the  ground  for  about  two  dayfc 


%: 


H 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841 


ti 


The  morning  of  tlio  Ai\\  wits  disagreea- 
bly cool,  with  iin  easterly  wind  and  very 
smoky  weather  Wo  niude  a  late  start  from 
the  village,  and,  refraining  the  road,  (on 
which,  during  all  the  day,  wen;  s<?atteied 
the  emigrant  wagons,)  we  conti  ued  on 
down  the  valley  of  the  river,  bonlorod  l)y 
high  and  mountainous  hillu,  on  wliich  fire;^ 
are  seen  at  the  .suminit.  The  .sciil  appears 
generally  good,  although,  with  the  grasses, 
many  of  the  iilnnls  are  dried  up,  prohuiily  on 
account  of  the  great  heat  and  want  of  rain. 
The  common  blue  flax  of  cultivation,  now 
almost  entirely  in  seed — oidy  a  scattered 
flower  here  and  there  remaining — is  the 
moat  characteristic  plant  of  the  IJear  river 
valley.  When  wo  encamped  Jit  night  ou 
the  right  bank  of  the  river,  it  was  growing 
as  in  a  sown  field.  VN  e  had  travelled  during 
the  day  22  miles,  cm-iimping  iii  latitude  (by 
observation)  42"  36'  56",  chrdinuiietric  lon- 
gitude 111°  '12'Orj". 

In  our  neighborhood,  the  liioiinlains  ap- 
peared extremely  rugged,  gi\  ing  slill  great- 
er value  to  this  beautiful  natural  pass. 

August  25. — This  was  a  chnidless  but 
smoky  autumn  morning,  witii  a  cold  wind 
from  the  SE.,  and  a  temperature  oi'  45^^  at 
sunrise.  In  a  few  miles  I  noticed,  where  a 
little  stream  crossed  the  road,  fragments  of 
scoriated  basalt  scattered  about — the  first 
volcanic  rock  we  had  seen,  and  which  now 
became  a  characteristic  rock  along  our  fu- 
ture road.  In  about  six  miles  travel  from 
our  encampment,  we  reached  one  of  the 
points  in  our  journey  to  which  we  had  al- 
ways looked  forward  with  great  interest — 
the  famous  Beer  springs.  The  place  in 
which  they  are  situated  is  a  basin  of  miner- 
al waters  enclosed  by  the  mountains,  which 
sweep  around  a  circular  bend  of  Bear  river, 
here  at  its  most  northern  point,  and  which 
fntn  a  northern,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
miles  acquires  a  southern  direction  towards 
the  Grkat  Salt  lake.  A  pretty  little 
stream  of  clear  water  enters  the  upper  part 
of  the  basin  from  an  open  valley  in  tlie  moun- 
taips,  and,  passing  through  the  bottom,  dis- 
charges into  Bear  river.  Crossing  this 
stream,  we  descended  a  mile  below,  and 
iqade  our  encampment  in  a  grove  of  cedar 
immediately  at  the  Beer  springs,  which,  on 
account  of  the  effervescing  gas  and  acid 
taste,  have  received  their  name  from  the 
Toyageurs  and  trappers  of  the  country,  who, 
in  the  midst  of  their  rude  and  hard  lives, 
are  fond  of  finding  some  fancied  resem- 
bla>nce  to  the  luxuries  they  rarely  have  the 
fortune  to  enjoy. 

Although  somewhat  disappointed  in  the 
expectations  which  irious  descriptions  had 
lo4,iiae  to  form  of  uuusual  beauty  of  situa- 
ti<H(  and  scenery,  I  found  it  altogether  a 
flvie  of  very  great  interest ;   and  a  trav- 


eller for  the  first  tiuto  in  a  volcanic  region 
remains  in  a  constant  excitement,  and  at 
every  step  is  arrested  by  something  re- 
markable and  new.  There  is  a  eonfusinn 
of  interesting  objects  gathered  together  in  a 
small  space.  Around  the  place  of  encamp- 
ment  the  Beer  springs  were  numerous  ;  but, 
as  far  as  we  could  ascertain,  wore  entirely 
coiiliued  to  that  locality  in  the  bottom.  In 
the  bed  of  the  river,  in  fcont,  for  a  space  of 
several  liiindroa  yards,  lliey  were  very 
aliimdant;  the  cfl'ervesiiing  gas  rising  up 
aiul  agitating  the  water  in  countless  bub- 
bling columns.  In  the  vicinity  round  about 
were  numerous  springs  of  an  entirely  differ- 
ent and  equally  marked  mineral  character, 
In  a  rather  picturps([ii(3  spot,  about  1,300 
yard^^  below  our  encampment,  and  immedi- 
\\y  on  the  river  bank,  is  the  most  remark- 
aij.  spring  of  the  place.  In  an  opening  on 
the  rock,  a  white  cohinm  of  scattered  water 
is  throwr-  np,  in  form  like  ■.ijel-d^eau,  to  a 
variable  height  of  about  three  fe*'t,  and, 
though  it  is  maintained  in  a  constant  supply, 
its  greatest  height  is  attained  only  at  regu- 
lar intervals,  according  to  the  action  of  the 
force  below.  It  is  accompanied  by  a  sub- 
terranean noise,  which,  together  with  the 
motion  of  the  water,  makes  very  much  the 
impression  of  a  steamboat  in  motion  ;  and, 
without  knowing  that  it  had  been  already 
previou.sly  so  called,  wc  gave  to  it  the  name 
of  the  Steamboat  spring.  The  rock  through 
which  it  is  forced  is  slightly  raised  in  a  con- 
vex manner,  and  gathered  at  the  opening 
into  an  urn-mouthed  form,  and  is  evidently 
formed  by  continued  deposition  from  the 
water,  and  colored  bright  red  by  oxide  of 
iron.  An  analysis  of  this  deposited  rock, 
which  I  subjoin,  will  give  you  some  idea  ot 
the  properties  of  the  water,  which,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Beer  springs,  is  the  min- 
eral water  of  the  place.*  It  is  a  hot  spring, 
and  the  water  ha^  i  pungent  and  disagree- 
able metallic  taste,  leaving  a  burning  effect 
on  the  tongue.  Within  perhaps  two  yards 
of  the  jet-d^eau  is  a  small  hole  of  about  an 
inch  in  diameter,  through  which,  at  regular 
intervals,  escapes  a  blast  of  hot  air  with  a 
light  wreath  of  smoke,  accompanied  by  a 
regular  notee.  This  hole  had  been  noticed 
by  Doctor  Wislizenus,  a  gentleman  who 
several  years  since  passed  by  this  place,  s^nd 
who  remarked,  with  very  nice  observation. 


•  ANALTBIS. 

Carbonate  of  lime  . 

.    92.55 

Carbonate  of  magnesia  . 

0.42 

Oxide  of  iron .... 

1.05 

Silica                   i 

Alumina             > 

.      SM 

Water  and  losB    ) 

loaoQ 


[I84t 

i'olcanic  region 
tement,  and  at 
somt'tliing  re- 
is  :i  confusion 
'I  together  in  a 


(84S.1 


CAPT.  l-'UEMONT'S  NAlUiAl'IVE.' 


77 


ace  of  cn(! 


ainp- 


laimerous ;  but, 
wore  entirely 
ho  bottom.     In 
,  for  a  space  of 
By    were    very 
Has    rising  up 
eoiiiiticss  bub- 
ity  round  about 
1  entirely  differ 
leral  character, 
ot,  about  1,300 
it,  and  imnnedi- 
le  most  remark- 
an  opening  on 
scattered  water 
jct-d^eau,  to  a 
hreo   ft'^t,  and, 
ioiistant  supply, 
d  only  at  regu- 
e  action  of  th<> 
nied  by  a  sub- 
ether  with  the 
very  much  the 
n  motion ;  and, 
been  already 
e  to  It  the  name 
le  rock  through 
raised  in  a  cor- 
at  the  opening 
nd  is  evidently 
iition   from  the 
ed  by  oxide  of 
deposited  rock, 
>u  some  idea  ot 
which,  with  the 
gs,  is  the  min- 
is a  hot  spring, 
and  disagree- 
1  burning  effect 
laps  two  yards 
ole  of  about  an 
hich,  at  regular 
hot  air  with  a 
ompanied  by  a 
id  been  noticed 
gentleman  who 
r  this  place,  ^nd 
Be  observation 


92.55 
0.43 
1.05 


&9e 


100.00 


Aat  smelling  the  gas  which  issued  from  tho 
orifice  produced  a  sensation  of  giddint  ss 
and  nausea.  Mr.  Preuss  and  myself  f- 
pcated  the  observation,  and  were  so  well 
satiafiod  with  it.s  correctness,  that  we  did 
Dot  find  it  pleasant  to  continue  the  cvpcri- 
mont,  as  the  sensation  of  giddiness  which  ii 
produced  was  certainly  slron^r  and  decided. 
A  huge  emigrant  wagon,  willi  a  largo  and 
diversified  family,  had  overtaken  u.s  and 
halted  to  noon  at  our  tncampmenl ;  and, 
while  we  wore  bitting  at  the  spring,  a  band 
of  boys  and  girls,  with  two  or  three  young 
Bion,  came  up,  one  of  whom  I  askid  to 
stoop  down  and  .sinell  the  gas,  desirous  to 
satisfy  myaelf  fur^  or  of  its  cffoct.-!.  Hut 
bis  natural  caution  had  been  awakiMied  by 
the  singular  and  suspicious  features  of  the 
place,  and  ho  declined  iriy  proposal  decided- 
ly, and  with  a  few  indistinct  reni.irks  about 
the  devil,  whom  he  scorned  to  consider  the 
genius  loci.  'I'ho  ceaseless  motion  and  the 
play  of  the  fountain,  the  red  rock,  and  the 
grreen  trees  near,  make  this  a  picturescpie 
spot. 

A  short  distance  above  the  spring,  and 
near  the  foot  of  the  same  spur,  is  a  very  re- 
markable yellow-colored  rock,  soft  and  fria- 
ble, consisting  principally  of  carbonate  of 
lime  and  oxide  of  iron,  of  regular  structure, 
which  is  probably  a  fossil  coral.  The  rocky 
bank  along  the  shore  between  the  Steamboat 
spring  and  our  encampment,  along  which  is 
dispersed  the  water  from  the  hills,  is  com- 
posed entirely  of  strata  of  a  calcareous  tufa, 
with  the  remains  of  moss  and  reed-like 
grasses,  which  is  probably  the  formation  of 
springs.  The  Beer  or  Soda  springs,  which 
have  given  name  to  this  locality,  are  agree- 
able, but  less  highly  flavored  than  the  Boil- 
ing springs  at  the  foot  of  Pike's  peak,  which 
are  of  the  same  character.  They  are  very 
numerous,  and  half  hidden  by  tufts  of  grass, 
which  we  amused  ourselves  in  removing 
and  searching  about  for  more  highly  impreg- 
Bated  springs.  They  are  some  of  them 
deep,  and  of  various  sizes — sometimes  seve- 
ral ^ards  in  diameter,  and  kept  in  constant 
motion  by  columns  of  escaping  gas.  By 
analysis,  one  quart  of  the  water  contains  as 
follows : 

Grainn. 

Sulphate  of  magnesia       .     .     .     .  12.10 

Sulphate  of  lime     ......  2.12 

Carbonate  of  lime        3.86 

Carbonate  of  magnesia      ....  3.22 

Chloride  of  calcium 1.33 

Chloride  of  magnesium     ....  1.12 

Chloride  of  sodium      .     .          .     .  2.24 

Vegetable  extractive  matter,  &c.  0.85 


26.84 

The  carbonic  acid,  originally  contained  in 

1I1.9  water  had  mainly  escaped  before  it  was 


subjected  to  analysis  ;  and  it  was  not,  there 
fore,  taken  into  consideration. 

In  the  afternoon  1  wandered  about  among 
tlie  cedars,  which  occupy  the  greater  part 
of  the  bottom  towards  the  mountains,  i'he 
soil  here  liiis  a  dry  and  calcim  !  appearance  ; 
in  some  pl!)c<\s,  the  open  ^j  'Is  arc  cov- 
ered witli  saline  einorcscenci  -s,  and  there 
are  a  nuinlier  of  re^rularly-shaped  and  very 
reinarkabli!  hills,  wliicli  arc  foriiiod  of  a 
succession  of  convex  strata  that  have  been 
deposited  by  the  waters  of  extinct  springs, 
the  orifices  of  which  are  fou.-'d  on  their 
summits,  some  of  iheiii  bavin;,'  tho  form  ot 
funnel-shapi:(l  cones.  Others  of  these  re- 
markably-shaped hills  arc  of  a  red-colored 
earth,  entirely  bare,  and  composed  princi- 
pally of  carbonate  of  lime,  with  oxide  of 
iron,  formed  in  the  same  manner.  Walking 
near  one  of  them,  on  ihe  summit  of  which 
the  s|i,in;Ts  were  dry,  my  attention  was  at- 
tracted by  an  innlergroniid  noise,  around 
which  I  circled  repeatedly,  until  I  found  tho 
sjiot  from  beneath  wliicli  it  name  ;  and,  re- 
movin;,'  the  red  earth,  discovered  a  hidden 
sprinj.',  which  was  boilini^  up  from  below, 
with  tlie  same  disai:,'reeablo  metallic  taste  as 
the  Steamboat  spring.  Continuing  up  the 
bottom,  and  crossing  tiie  little  stream  which 
has  been  already  meiitioned,  I  visited  seve- 
ral remarkable  red  and  white  hills,  which 
had  attracted  my  attention  from  the  road  in 
the  morning.  These  are  immediately  upon 
the  stream,  and,  like  those  already  men- 
tioned, are  formed  by  the  deposition  of  suc- 
cessive strata  from  the  springs.  On  their 
summits,  the  orifices  through  which  the 
waters  had  been  discharged  were  so  large, 
that  they  resembled  miniature  craters,  being 
some  of  them  several  feet  in  diameter,  cir- 
cular, and  regularly  formed  as  if  by  art.  At 
a  former  time,  when  these  dried-up  foun- 
tains were  all  in  motion,  they  must  hare 
made  a  beautiful  display  on  a  grand  scale  ; 
and  nearly  all  this  basin  appears  to  me  to 
have  been  formed  under  their  action,  and 
should  be  called  the  place  of  fountains.  At 
the  foot  of  one  of  these  hills,  or  rather  on  its 
side  near  the  base,  are  several  of  thess 
small  limestone  columns,  about  one  foot  in 
diameter  at  the  base,  and  tapering  upwards 
to  a  height  of  three  or  four  feet ;  and  on  the 
summit  the  water  is  boiling  up  and  bubbling 
over,  constantly  adding  to  the  height  of  the 
little  obelisks.  In  some,  the  water  only 
boils  up,  no  longer  overflowing,  and  has  here 
the  same  taste  as  at  the  Steamboat  spring. 
The  observer  will  remark  a  gradual  subsi- 
dence in  the  water,  which  formerly  supplied 
the  fountains  ;  as  on  all  the  summits  of  the 
hills  the  springs  are  now  dry,  and  are  found 
only  low  down  upon  their  sides,  or  on  tha 
surrounding  plain. 

A  little  higher  up  the  creek,  its  banks  MS 


CAPT.  FREIMONT'S  NARRATI\  K 


[1841. 


1841.] 


formed  by  strata  of  a  very  heavy  and  hard 
■coriacoous  basalt,  having  a  bright  metallic 
lustre  when  broken.  The  mountains  over- 
looking the  plain  arc  of  an  cntirrly  different 
geological  character.  Continuing  on,  1 
walked  to  tho  summit  of  one  of  thorn,  wlmro 
the  principal  rock  was  a  granular  (luartz. 
Descending  tho  mountains,  and  roliirniug 
towards  the  camp  along  the  baso  of  tho  ridge 
which  skirts  tho  plain,  I  found  ai  t!io  foot 
of  a  mountain  spur,  and  issuing  from  a  com- 

fact  rock  of  a  dar'  blue  color,  a  great  num- 
er  of  springs  having  the  same  pungent  and 
disagreeably  metallic  taste  already  men- 
tioned, tho  water  of  which  was  collected 
into  a  very  remarkable  basin,  whoso  singu- 
larity, perhaps,  made  it  appear  lo  mo  very 
beautiful.  It  is  large — perhiips  fifty  yards 
in  circumferenco  ;  and  in  it  the  water  is  con- 
tained at  an  elevation  of  several  feet  above 
the  surrounding  ground,  by  a  wall  of  calca- 
reous tufa,  composed  principally  ni  the  re- 
mains of  mosses,  three  or  fmir,  and  some- 
times ten  feet  high.  The  wafer  within  is 
Tery  clear  and  pure,  and  three  or  four  feet 
deep,  where  it  could  be  conveniently  meas- 
ured near  the  wall ;  and  at  a  considerably 
lower  level,  is  another  pond  or  basin  of  very 
clear  water,  and  apparently  of  considerable 
depth,  from  the  bott(Mn  of  which  the  gas 
was  escaping  in  bubbling  columns  at  many 
places.  This  water  was  collected  into  a 
small  stream,  which,  in  a  few  hundred  yards, 
sank  under  ground,  reappearing  among  the 
rocks  between  the  two  great  springs  near 
the  river,  which  it  entered  by  a  little  fall. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  I  set  out  on  my  re- 
turn to  the  camp,  and,  crossing  in  the  way 
a  large  field  of  a  salt  that  was  several  inches 
deep,  found  on  my  arrival  that  our  emigrant 
friends,  who  had  been  encamped  in  company 
with  us,  had  resumed  their  journey,  and  the 
road  had  again  assumed  its  solitary  charac- 
ter. The  temperature  of  the  largest  of  the 
Beer  springs  at  our  encampment  was  65°  at 
sunset,  that  of  the  air  being  62.5°.  Our 
barometric  observation  gave  5,840  feet  for 
the  elevation  above  the  gulf,  being  about 
500  feet  lower  than  the  Boiling  springs, 
which  are  of  a  similar  nature,  at  the  foot  of 
Pike's  peak.  The  astronomical  observa- 
tions gave  for  our  latitude  42°  39'  57",  and 
111°  46'  00"  for  the  longitude.  The  night 
was  very  still  and  cloudless,  and  I  sat  up 
for  an  observation  of  the  first  satellite  of 
Jupiter,  the  emersion  of  which  took  place 
about  midnight ;  but  fell  asleep  at  the  tele- 
scope, awaking  just  a  few  minutes  after  the 
appearance  of  the  star. 

The  morning  of  the  26th  was  calm,  and 
the  sky  without  clouds,  but  smoky  ;  and  the 
temperature  at  sunrise  28.5°.  At  the  same 
time,  the  temperature  of  the  large  Beer 
vpnng,  where  we  were  encamped,  was  56°  - 


that  of  the  Steamboat  spring  87o  ;  and  thai 
of  tho  steam  hole,  near  it,  81.5°.  In  lh« 
course  of  the  morning,  the  l:i.st  wagons  of 
tho  emigration  passed  by,  and  wo  were 
again  left  in  our  place,  in  tho  rear. 

Itemaining  in  camp  until  nearly  1 1  o'clock, 
we  travelled  a  short  distance  down  the  riv- 
(!r,  and  haltcul   to   noon  oti   the   bank,  at  a 
|inint   where   the   road  quits   titu  valley  of 
Dear  river,  and,  ero.ssing  a  ridge  which  di- 
vides the  (ireat  BasiH  from  the  Pacific  vt%. 
tens,  reaches  Fort  Hall,  by  way  of  the  Port- 
neuf  river,  in  a  distance  of  probably   fifty 
miles,  or  two  and  a  half  days'  journey  foi 
wagons      An  examination  of  the  great  lake 
which  is  tiie  outlet  of  this   river,  and  the 
principal  feature  of  geographical  interest  in 
the  basin,  was  one  of  the  main  objects  con- 
templated in  the  general  plan  of  our  survey, 
and  I  accordingly  determined   at   this  place 
to  leave  the  road,  and,  after  having  com- 
pleted a  reconnoissanco  of  tho  lake,  regain 
it  subsequently  at  Fort  Hall.     But  our  little 
stock  of  provisions  had  again  become  ex- 
tremely low  ;  we  had  only  dried  meat  su& 
cient  for  one  meal,  and  our  supply  of  floui 
and  other  comforts  waa  entirely  exhausted. 
I  therefore   immediately  dispatched  one  of 
the  party,  Henry  Lee,  with  a  note  to  Car- 
son, at  Fort  Hall,  directing  him  to  load  a 
pack  horse  with  whatever  could  be  obtained 
there  in  the  way  of  provisions,  and  endeavor 
to  overtake  me  on  the  river.     In  the  mean 
time,  we  had  picked  up  along  the  lOad  two 
tolerably  well-grown  calves,  which  would 
have  become  food  for  wolves,  and  which 
had  probably  been  left  by  some  of  the  earli- 
er emigrants,  none  of  those  we  had  met  hav- 
ing made  any  claim  to  them  ;  and  on  theae 
I  mainly  relied  for  support  during  our  cir- 
cuit to  the  lake. 

In  sweeping  arouk  d  the  point  of  the  moun- 
tain which  runs  down  into  the  bend,  the 
river  here  passes  between  perpendicular 
walls  of  basalt,  which  always  fix  the  atten- 
tion, from  the  regular  form  in  which  it  oo- 
curs,  and  its  perfect  distinctness  from  the 
surrounding  rocks  among  which  it  has  been 
placed.  The  mountain,  which  is  rugged 
and  steep,  and,  by  our  measurement,  1,400 
feet  above  the  river  directly  opposite  the 
place  of  our  halt,  is  called  the  Sheep  rock 
— probably  because  a  flock  of  the  common 
mountain  sheep  {ovis  montana)  had  been 
seen  on  the  craggy  point. 

As  we  were  about  resuming  our  march  in 
the  afternoon,  I  was  attracted  by  the  singu- 
lar appearance  of  an  isolated  hill  with  a 
concave  summit,  in  the  plain,  about  two 
miles  from  the  river,  and  turned  off  towarOB 
it,  while  the  camp  proceeded  on  its  way  to 
the  southward  in  search  of  the  lake.  I 
found  the  thin  and  stony  soil  of  the  plain 
entirely  underlaid  by  the  basalt  which  forms 


1641.1 


CAPT.  l-'UKMONT'S  NAHUAIIVK. 


ibe  river  walU  ;  uiid  wliun  I  readied  tlio 
nei({li^<>i'h''('d  of  the  liill,  the  Hurfiicu  itf  lliu 
plniii  ' /.iH  runt  into  rrequont  fiHsiireN  uiid 
fh'taini*  ot  the  Bainu  Bcorinted  voleunii;  rouk, 
iroin  I'lirty  to  nixty  feet  deep,  but  wliicli 
ilia.''  Vi «  ti^«  Miilticioiil  lifrlil  V)  iienetriitt.' 
eiUir*!;',  iiiid  vvlccli  I  liud  not  tiine  to  de- 
scend. Arrivctl  ul  tliu  .tiiininil  of  tlie  hill, 
I  fuurid  that  it  leiiniiiated  in  u  vi.'iy  perfintt 
erater,  of  an  oval,  or  nearly  circular  furni, 
300  pacoM  in  eircuinfereneu,  and  ISO  feet  at 
the  fjreatest  depth.  The  walls,  which  were 
perfectly  vertical,  and  dispoHud  like  Mia.><(in- 
ry  in  a  very  rejjular  niniiiier,  were  ennipo.-s- 
ed  of  a  hrown-colorod  ncoriaee(»ns  lava,  evi- 
dently the  production  of  a  mndern  volcano, 
and  liavin)r  all  the  ap|)earanee  of  the  liirhtcr 
scoriaceitus  lavas  of  Mount  /El'ia,  V<'su- 
vius,  and  other  volcanoes.  'I'lie  faces  of 
the  walla  were  reddened  and  j,'la/,ed  hy  t'lie 
fire,  in  which  they  had  been  melted,  aiul 
which  had  left  them  contorted  and  twisted 
by  its  violent  .^etion. 

Our  route  during;  the  afternooti  was  a  lit- 
tle rough,  heingr  (in  the  dire(;tion  we  h-i 
taken)  ov  a  volcanic  plain,  where  our  pro- 
gress was  sometimes  obstructed  hy  fissiuesj, 
and  black  beds  composed  of  fragments  of 
the  rock.  On  both  sides,  the  mountains  ap- 
peared very  broken,  but  tolerably  well  tim- 
bered. 

August  26. — Crossing  a  point  of  ridge 
which  makes  in  to  the  river,  we  fell  upon 
it  again  before  sunset,  and  encamped  on  the 
right  bank,  opposite  to  the  encam|)ment  of 
three  lodges  of  Snake  Indians.  They  visit- 
ed us  during  the  evening,  and  we  obtained 
from  them  a  small  quantity  of  roots  of  dif- 
ferent kinds,  in  exchange  for  goods.  Among 
them  was  a  sweet  root  of  very  pleasant  fla- 
vor, having  somewhat  the  taste  of  preserved 
quince.  My  endeavors  to  become  acquaint- 
ed with  the  plants  which  furnish  to  the  In- 
dians a  portion  of  their  support  were  only 
gradually  successful,  and  after  long  and  per- 
seTering  attention ;  and  even  after  obtain- 
ing, I  did  not  succeed  in  preserving  them 
until  they  could  be  satisfactorily  ''etermined. 
In  this  portion  of  the  journey,  1  found  this 
particular  root  cut  up  into  srch  small  pieces, 
that  it  was  only  to  be  identified  by  its  taste, 
when  the  bulb  was  met  with  in  perfect  form 
among  the  Indians  lower  down  on  the  Co- 
lumbia, among  whom  it  is  the  highly  cele- 
brated kamas.  It  was  long  afterwards,  on 
our  return  through  Upper  California,  that  I 
found  the  plant  itself  in  bloom,  which  I  sup- 
Dosed  to  furnish  the  kamas  root,  {camassia 
esculenta.)  The  root  diet  had  a  rather 
mournful  effect  at  the  commencement,  and 
one  of  the  calves  was  killed  this  evening 
for  food.  The  animals  fared  well  on  rushes. 

Atigust  27. — The  morning  was  cloudy, 
with  appearance  of  rain,  and  tlie  thermome- 


ter at  Hunrixe  at  30",  Making  an  uuusuailjr 
early  htart,  we  cinH.it'd  the  river  at  a  good 
ford  ;  and,  following  lor  about  three  hours 
a  trad  whirdi  led  along  the  bottom,  wo  en- 
tered a  lal>yimth  of  hdls  below  the  main 
ridufo,  and  hailed  to  noon  in  the  ravine  of  a 
pretty  little  stnani,  tindjured  with  cotton- 
wood  of  a  large  hi/.e,  anii-lcaveil  maolH, 
with  chiMry  and  other  «liru!)l)y  trees.  'I'ho 
hazy  weather,  whit-li  liad  prevented  ai,y 
very  extended  view.s  since  entering  the 
(iret'ii  river  valley,  bc^an  now  to  diMappear. 
'i'here  was  a  hli^^rhl  ram  in  the  earlier  purl 
of  th(.'  day,  and  ul  noon,  when  the  thcrii  u- 
muter  had  risen  to  I'J.lj  >,  we  had  a  hrigh 
Nun,  with  blue  sky  and  scattered  cumuli. 
Aeeordiiifi;  to  the  baioiueter,  our  halt  hero 
ainonirtlie  hills  was  at  an  (devation  of  0,320 
I'uet.  I^rotibing  a  diviiling  ridge  in  the  af- 
leinoon,  we  followed  down  another  little 
bear  river  tributary,  to  the  point  where  it 
einer<{ed  on  an  open  ;;reen  Hat  among  the 
hills,  timbered  with  groves,  and  bordered 
with  cane  thickets,  luil  without  water.  A. 
pretty  little  rivulet,  (U)uiiii<4  out  of  the  hilt 
side,  and  overhung  Ijy  tall  dowering  plants 
of  a  tspecies  1  had  not  hitherto  seen,  fur- 
nished us  with  a  good  camping  place.  The 
evening  was  cloudy,  the  temperature  at 
suiKset  (}\h\  and  the  elevation  5,140  feet. 
Among  the  plants  occurring  along  the  line 
of  road  during  the  day,  epinnUes  des  prai- 
ries (griiulelia  squarrosa)  was  in  considera- 
ble abundance,  and  i.'<  among  the  very  few 
plants  remaining  in  bloom — the  whole  coun- 
try having  now  an  autumnal  appearance, 
in  the  crisped  and  yellow  plants,  and  driod- 
up  grasses.  Many  cranes  were  seen  dur- 
ing the  day,  with  a  few  antelope,  very  shy 
and  wild. 

August  28. — During  the  night  we  had  a 
thunder  storm,  with  moderate  rain,  which 
has  made  the  air  this  morning  very  clear, 
the  thermometer  being  at  55^.  Leaving 
our  encampment  at  the  Cane  spring,  and 
quitting  the  trail  on  which  we  had  been 
travelling,  and  which  would  probably  have 
afforded  us  a  good  road  to  the  lake,  we 
crossed  some  very  deep  ravines,  and,  in 
about  an  hour^s  travelling,  again  reached 
the  river.  We  were  now  in  a  valley  fire 
or  six  miles  wide,  between  mountain 
ranges,  which,  about  thirty  miles  below, 
appeared  to  close  up  and  terminate  the  val- 
ley, leaving  for  the  river  only  a  very  nar- 
row pass,  or  canon,  beiiind  which  we  ima- 
gined that  we  should  find  the  broad  waters 
of  the  lake.  We  made  the  usual  halt  at 
the  mouth  of  a  small  clear  stream,  having 
a  slightly  mineral  taste,  (perhaps  of  salt,) 
4,760  feet  above  the  gulf.  In  the  afternoon 
we  climbed  a  very  steep  sandy  hill ;  and, 
after  a  slow  and  winding  day's  march  of  87 
miles,  encamped  at  a  slough  on  the  rivWr 


M 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


imt 


There  were  great  quantities  of  geese  and 
ducks,  of  which  only  a  few  were  shot ;  the 
Indians  having  probably  made  them  very  wild . 
The  men  employed  themselves  in  fishing, 
but  caught  nothing.  A  skunk,  {mephitis 
ATnerica7ia,)  which  was  killed  in  the  after- 
noon, made  a  supper  for  one  of  the  messes. 
The  river  is  bordered  occasionally  with 
fields  of  cane,  which  we  regarded  as  an  in- 
dication of  our  approach  to  a  lake  country. 
We  had  frequent  showers  of  rain  during  tile 
night,  with  thunder. 

August  29. — The  thermometer  at  sunrise 
was  54°,  with  air  from  the  NW.,  and  dark 
rainy  clouds  moving  on  the  horizon ;  rain 
squalls  and  bright  sunshine  by  intervals.  I 
rode  ahead  with  Basil  to  explore  the  coun- 
try, and,  continuing  about  three  miles  along 
the  river,  turned  directly  off"  on  a  trail  run- 
ning towards  three  marked  gaps  in  the  bor- 
dering range,  where  the  mountains  ap- 
peared cut  through  to  their  bases,  towards 
which  the  river  plain  rose  gradually.  Put- 
ting our  horses  into  a  gallop  on  some  fresh 
tracks  which  showed  very  plainly  in  the 
wet  path,  we  came  suddenly  up  i  a  small 
party  of  Shoshonee  Indians,  wlio  nad  fallen 
into  the  trail  from  the  north.  We  could 
only  communicate  by  signs ;  but  tiiey 
made  us  understand  that  the  road  through 
the  chain  was  a  very  excelient  one,  lead- 
ing into  a  broad  valley  which  ran  to 
the  southward.  We  halted  to  noon  at 
what  may  be  called  the  gate  of  the  pass  ; 
on  either  side  of  which  were  huge  moun- 
tains of  rock,  between  which  stole  a  little 
pure  water  stream,  with  a  margin  just  suf- 
ficiently large  for  our  passage.  From  the 
river,  the  plain  had  gradually  risen  to  an 
altitude  of  5,500  feet,  and,  by  meridian 
observation,  the  latitude  of  the  entrance 
was  isjo. 

In  the  interval  of  our  usual  halt,  several 
of  us  wandered  along  up  the  stream  to  ex- 
amine the  pass  more  at  leisure.  Within 
the  gate,  the  rocks  receded  a  little  back, 
leavmg  a  very  narrow,  but  most  beautiful 
Talley,  through  which  the  little  stream 
wound  its  way,  hidden  by  different  kinds  of 
trees  and  shrubs — aspen,  maple,  willow, 
cherry,  and  elder ;  a  fine  verdure  of  smooth 
short  grass  spread  over  the  remaining  space 
to  the  bare  sides  of  the  rocky  walls.  These 
were  of  a  blue  limestone,  which  constitutes 
the  mountain  here  ;  and  opening  directly  on 
the  grassy  bottom  were  several  curious 
caves,  which  appeared  to  be  inhabited  by 
loot  diggers.  On  one  side  was  gathered  a 
heap  of  leaves  for  a  bed,  and  they  were 
dry,  open,  and  pleasant.  On  tht.  roofs  of 
the  caves  I  remarked  bituminous  exula- 
tions  from  the  rock. 

The  trail  was  an  excellent  one  for  pack 
horses ;    but,  as    it    sometimes    crossed  a 


shelving  point,  to  avoid  the  shrubbery  we 
were  obliged  in  several  places  to  open  a 
road  for  the  carriage  through  the  wood.  A 
squaw  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  five 
or  six  dogs,  entered  the  pass  in  the  after- 
noon ;  but  was  too  much  terrified  at  finding 
In  .  ilf  in  such  unexpected  company  to 
muLi)  any  pause  for  conversation,  and  hur- 
ried oft"  at  a  good  pace — being,  of  course, 
no  further  disturbed  than  by  an  accelerating 
shout.  She  was  well  and  showily  dressed, 
and  was  probably  going  to  a  village  encamp- 
ed somewhere  near,  and  evidently  did  not 
belong  to  the  tribe  of  root  diggers.  We 
had  now  entered  a  country  inhabited  by 
these  people ;  and  as  in  the  course  of  our 
voyage  we  shall  frequently  meet  with  them 
in  various  stages  of  existence,  it  will  be 
well  to  inform  you  that,  scattered  over  the 
great  region  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
and  south  of  the  Great  Snake  river,  are 
numerous  Indians  whose  subsistence  is  al- 
most solely  derived  from  roots  and  seeds, 
and  such  small  animals  as  chance  and  great 
good  fortune  sometimes  bring  within  their 
reach.  They  are  miserably  poor,  armed 
only  with  bows  and  arrows,  or  clubs  ;  and, 
as  the  country  they  inhabit  is  almost  desti- 
tute of  game,  they  have  no  means  of  ob- 
taining better  arms.  In  the  northern  part 
of  the  region  just  mentioned,  they  live  gen- 
erally in  solitary  families ;  and  farther  to 
the  south,  they  are  gathered  together  in 
villages.  Those  who  live  together  in  vil- 
lages, strengthened  by  association,  are  in 
exclusive  possession  of  the  more  genial 
and  richer  parts  of  the  country  ;  while  thi 
others  are  driven  to  the  ruder  mountains, 
and  to  the  more  inhospitable  parts  of  the 
country.  But  by  simply  observing,  in  ac- 
companying us  along  our  road,  you  will  be- 
come better  acquainted  with  these  people 
than  we  could  make  you  in  any  other  than 
a  very  long  description,  and  you  will  find 
them  worthy  of  your  interest. 

Roots,  seeds,  and  grass,  every  vegetable 
that  affords  any  nourishment,  and  every 
living  animal  thing,  insect  or  worm,  they 
eat.  Nearly  approaching  to  the  lower  ani- 
mal creation,  their  sole  employment  is  to 
obtain  food ;  and  they  are  constantly  oc- 
cupied in  a  struggle  to  support  existence. 

The  most  remarkable  feature  of  the  pass 
is  the  Standing  rock,  which  has  fallen  from 
the  cliffs  above,  and  standing  p  :  pendicularly 
near  the  middle  of  the  valley,  presents  it- 
self like  a  watch  tower  in  the  pass.  It 
will  give  you  a  tolerably  correc*  idea  of  the 
character  of  the  scenery  in  this  country, 
where  generally  the  mountains  rise  abruptly 
up  from  comparatively  unbroken  plains  and 
level  valleys  ;  but  it  will  entirely  fail  in 
repre.senting  the  picturesque  beauty  of  this 
delightful  place,  where  a  green  valley,  full 


shrubbery  we 
aces  to  open  a 
h  the  wood,  A 
npanied  by  five 
IS  in  the  after, 
rified  at  finding 
3d  company  to 
sation,  and  hur- 
sing,  of  course, 
an  accelerating 
howily  dressed, 
tillage  encamp, 
idently  did  not 

diggers.  We 
Y  inhabited  by 
5  course  of  our 
neet  with  them 
nee,  it  will  be 
tered  over  the 
cky  mountains, 
lake  river,  are 
bsistence  is  al- 
lots and  seeds, 
lance  and  great 
ng  within  their 
y  poor,  armed 

or  clubs  ;  and, 
;S  almost  desti- 
»  means  of  ob- 
?  northern  part 

tkey  live  gen- 
and  farther  to 
ed  together  in 
together  in  vil- 
ciatioii,  are  in 
5  more  genial 
try ;  while  thi 
der  mountains, 
le  parts  of  the 
iserving,  in  ac- 
d,  you  will  be- 
1  these  people 
any  other  than 

you  will  find 
t. 

very  vegetable 
nt,  and  every 
or  worm,  thej 
the  lower  ani- 
)loyment  is  to 
constantly  oe- 
rt  existence, 
ire  of  the  pass 
las  fallen  from 

:  pendicularly 
y,  presents  it- 

the  pass.  It 
ec*  idea  of  the 

this  country, 
is  rise  abruptly 
cen  plains  and 
ntirely  fail   in 

beauty  of  this 
len  valley,  full 


t«48.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


•1 


of  foliage,  and  a  hundred  yards  wide,  con- 
trasts with  naked  crags  that  spire  up  into  a 
blue  line  of  pinnacles  3,000  feet  above, 
sometimes  crested  with  cedar  and  pine,  and 
sometimes  ragged  and  bare. 

The  detention  that  we  met  with  in  open- 
ing the  road,  and  perhaps  a  willingness  to 
linger  on  the  way,  made  the  afternoon's 
travel  short ;  and  about  two  miles  from  the 
entrance  we  passed  tn  rough  another  gate, 
and  encamped  on  the  stream  at  the  junction 
of  a  little  fork  from  the  southward,  around 
which  the  mountains  stooped  more  gently 
down,  forming  a  small  open  cove. 

As  it  was  still  early  in  the  afternoon, 
Basil  and  myself  in  one  direction,  and  Mr. 
Preuss  in  another,  set  out  to  explore  the 
country,  and  ascended  different  neighboring 
peaks,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  some  indica- 
tions of  the  lake  ;  but  though  our  elevation 
afforded  magnificent  views,  the  eye  rang- 
ing over  a  long  extent  of  Bear  river,  with 
the  broad  and  fertile  Cache  valley  in  the 
direction  of  our  search,  was  only  to  be 
seen  a  bed  of  apparently  impracticable 
mountains.  Among  these,  the  trail  we  had 
been  following  turned  sharply  to  the  north- 
ward, rnd  it  began  to  be  doubtful  if  it  would 
not  lead  us  away  from  the  object  of  our 
destination  ;  but  I  nevertheless  determined 
to  keep  it,  in  the  belief  that  it  would  event- 
ually bring  us  right.  A  squall  of  rain  drove 
us  out  of  the  mountain,  and  it  was  late 
when  we  reached  the  camp.  The  evening 
closed  in  with  frequent  sliowers  of  rain, 
with  some  lightning  and  thunder. 

August  30. — We  had  constant  thunder 
storms  during  the  night,  but  in  the  morn- 
ing the  clouds  were  sinking  to  the  horizon, 
and  the  air  was  clear  and  cold,  with  the 
thermometer  at  sunrise  a  39°.  Elevation 
by  barometer  5,580  feet.  We  were  in  mo- 
tion early,  continuing  up  the  little  stream 
without  encountering  any  ascent  where  a 
horse  would  not  easily  gallop,  and,  crossing 
a  slight  dividing  ground  at  the  summit,  de- 
scended up  n  a  small  stream,  along  which 
we  continu  a  on  the  same  excellent  road. 
In  riding  through  the  pass,  numerous  cranes 
were  seen ;  and  prairie  hens,  or  grouse, 
(bonasia  umbellus,)  which  lately  had  been 
rare,  were  very  abundant. 

This  little  affluent  brought'  us  to  a  larger 
stream,  down  which  we  travelled  through  a 
more  open  bottom,  on  a  level  road,  where 
heavily-laden  wagons  could  pass  without 
obstacle.  The  hills  on  the  right  grew 
lower,  and,  on  entering  a  more  open  coun- 
try, we  discovered  a  Shoshonee  village ; 
and  being  desirous  to  obtain  information, 
and  purchase  from  them  some  roots  ind 
berries,  we  halted  on  the  river,  whinh  was 
lightly  wooded  with  cherry,  willow,  maple, 
service  berry,  and  aspen.  A  meridian  ob- 
6 


servation  of  the  sun,  which  I  obtained  here 
gave  42°  14'  22"  for  our  latitude,  and  the 
barometer  indicated  a  height  of  5,170  feet. 
A  number  of  Indians  came  immediately 
over  to  visit  us,  and  several  men  were  sent 
to  the  village  with  goods,  tobacco,  knifes, 
cloth,  vermilion,  and  the  usual  trinkets,  to 
exchange  for  provisions.  But  they  had  no 
game  of  any  kind  ;  and  it  was  difficult  to 
obtain  any  roots  from  them,  as  they  were 
miserably  poor,  and  had  but  little  to  spue 
from  their  winter  stock  of  provisions.  Sev- 
eral of  the  ladians  drew  aside  their  blankets, 
showing  me  their  lean  and  bony  figures  ; 
and  I  would  not  any  longer  tempt  them  with 
a  display  of  our  merchandise  to  part  with 
their  wretched  subsistence,  when  they  gave 
as  a  reason  that  it  would  expose  the-"  ' ' 
temporary  starvation.  A  great  portioi,  , . 
the  region  inhabited  by  this  nation  formerly 
abounded  in  game  ;  the  buffalo  ranging  about 
in  herds,  as  we  had  found  them  on  the  east- 
ern waters,  and  the  plains  dotted  with  scat- 
tered bands  of  antelope ;  but  so  rapidly 
have  they  disappeared  within  a  few  years, 
that  now,  as  we  journeyed  along,  an  occa- 
sional buffalo  skull  and  a  few  wild  antelope 
were  all  that  remained  of  the  abundance 
which  had  covered  the  country  with  animal 
life. 

The  extraordinary  rapidity  with  which 
the  buffalo  is  disappearing  from  our  territo- 
ries will  not  appear  surprising  when  we  re- 
member the  great  scale  on  which  their  de- 
struction is  yearly  carried  on.  With  incon- 
siderable exceptions,  the  business  of  the 
American  trading  posts  is  carried  on  in  their 
skins  ;  every  year  the  Indian  villages  make 
new  lodges,  for  which  the  skin  of  the  buffa- 
lo furnishes  the  material ;  and  in  that  por- 
tion of  the  country  where  they  are  still 
found,  the  Indians  derive  their  entire  sup- 
port from  thurn,  and  slaughter  them  with 
a  thoughtless  and  abominable  extravagance. 
Like  the  Indians  themselves,  they  have 
been  a  characteristic  of  the  Great  West ; 
and  as,  like  them,  they  are  visibly  diminish- 
ing, it  will  be  interesting  to  throw  a  glance 
backward  through  the  last  twenty  years, 
and  give  some  account  of  their  former  dis- 
tribution through  the  country,  and  the  limit 
of  their  western  range. 

The  information  is  derived  principally 
from  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  supported  by  my  own 
personal  knowledge  and  acquaintance  with 
the  country.  Our  knowledge  does  not  go 
farther  back  than  the  spring  of  1824,  at 
which  time  the  buffalo  were  spread  in  im- 
mense numbers  over  the  Green  river  and 
Bear  river  valleys,  and  through  all  the 
country  lying  between  the  Colorado,  or 
Green  river  of  the  gulf  of  California,  and 
Lewis's  fork  of  the  Columbia  river;  the 
meridian  of  Fort   Hall   then  forming  the 


M 


CAPT.  Fi{r:Mo?>'r.-^  nauhative. 


[184t. 


INS.] 


r 


western  limit  of  their  ranjre.  The  buffalo 
then  remained  for  many  years  in  that  coun- 
try, and  frequently  moved  down  the  valley 
of  the  Columbia,  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
as  far  as  the  Fishing  falls.  Below  this 
point  they  never  descendec'  in  any  numbers. 
About  the  year  1834  or  1835  they  began  to 
diminish  very  rapidly,  and  continued  to  de- 
crease until  1838  or  1840,  when,  with  the 
country  we  iiavc  just  described,  they  en- 
tirely abandoned  all  tlip  waters  of  the  Pa- 
cific north  of  Lewis's  fork  of  the  Columbia. 
At  that  lime,  the  Flathead  Indians  were  in 
the  habit  of  finding  their  buffalo  on  the 
heads  of  Salmon  river,  a  ml  other  streams  of 
the  Columbia  ;  but  now  they  never  meet 
with  them  farther  west  tluin  the  tluce  forks 
of  the  Missouri  or  the  plains  of  the  Yellow- 
stone river. 

In  the  course  of  our  journey  it  will  be  re- 
marked that  the  buffalo  have  not  so  entirely 
abandoned  the  waters  of  the  Pacilic,  in  the 
Rocky-mountain  region  south  of  the  Sweet 
Water,  as  in  the  country  north  of  the  Great 
Vu^.^.  This  partial  distribution  ean  only  be 
accounted  for  in  tiie  great  pastoral  beauty 
of  that  country,  which  bears  marks  of  hav- 
ing long  been  one  of  their  favorite  haunts, 
and  by  the  fact  that  the  white  hunters  liave 
more  frequented  the  northern  than  the  south- 
ern region — it  being  north  of  the  South  Pass 
that  the  hunters,  trappers,  and  traders,  have 
had  their  rendezvous  for  many  years  past ; 
and  from  that  section  also  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  beaver  and  rich  furs  were  taken, 
although  always  the  most  dangerous  as  well 
as  the  most  profitable  hunting  ground. 

In  that  region  lying  between  the  Green 
or  Colorado  river  and  the  head  waters  of 
the  Rio  del  Norte,  over  the  Yampah,  Koo- 
yah,  White,  and  Grand  rivers — all  of  which 
are  the  waters  jf  the  Colorado — the  buffalo 
never  extender,  so  far  to  the  westward  as 
they  did  on  thf.  waters  of  the  Columbia ;  and 
only  in  one  or  two  instances  have  they  been 
known  to  descend  as  far  west  as  the  mouth 
of  White  river.  In  travelling  through  the 
country  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  ob- 
servation readily  led  me  to  the  impression 
that  the  buffalo  had,  for  the  first  time,  cross- 
ed that  range  to  the  waters  of  the  Pacific 
only  a  few  years  prior  to  the  period  we  are 
considering  ;  and  in  this  opinion  I  am  sus- 
tained by  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  and  the  older 
trappers  in  that  country.  In  the  region  west 
of  the  Rocky  mountains,  we  never  meet  with 
any  of  the  ancient  vestiges  which,  through- 
out all  the  country  lying  upon  their  eastern 
waters,  are  found  in  the  great  highways, 
continuous  for  hundreds  of  miles,  always 
several  inches  and  sometimes  several  feet  in 
depth,  which  the  buffalo  have  made  in  cross- 
ing from  one  river  to  another,  or  in  travers- 
ing the  mountain  ranges.    The  Snake  In- 


dians, more  particularly  those  low  down  up. 
on  Lewis's  fork,  have  always  been  very 
grateful  to  the  American  trappers,  for  the 
great  kindness  (as  they  frequently  expressed 
it)  which  they  did  to  them,  in  driving  the 
buffalo  so  low  down  the  Columbia  river. 

The  extraordinary  abundance  of  the  buf. 
falo  on  the  east  side  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains, and  their  extraordinary  diminution, 
will  be  made  clearly  evident  from  the  fol. 
lowing  statement :  At  any  time  between  the 
years  1824  and  1836,  a  traveller  might  start 
from  any  given  point  south  or  north  in  the 
Rocky  mountain  range,  journeying  by  the 
most  direct  route  to  the  Missouri  river; 
and,  during  the  whole  distance,  his  road 
would  be  always  among  large  bands  of  buf- 
falo, which  would  never  be  out  of  his  view 
until  he  arrived  almost  within  sight  of  tlie 
abodes  of  civilization. 

At  this  time,  the  buffalo  occupy  but  a 
very  limited  space,  principally  along  the 
eastern  base  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  some- 
times extending  at  their  southern  extremity 
to  a  considerable  distance  into  the  plains 
between  the  Platte  and  Arkansas  rivers, 
and  along  the  eastern  frontier  of  New  Mex- 
ico as  far  south  as  Texas. 

The  following  statement,  which  I  owe  to 
the  kindness  of  Mr.  Sanford,  a  partner  Id 
the  American  Fur  Company,  will  furthei 
illustrate  this  subject,  by  extensive  know- 
ledge acquired  during  several  years  of  travel 
through  the  region  inhabited  by  the  buffalo : 

"The  total  amount  of  robes  annually 
traded  by  ourselves  and  others  will  not  be 
found  to  differ  much  from  the  following 
statement : 


American  Fur  Company, 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,   .     . 
All  other  companies,  probably 


Robe*. 
70,000 
10,000 
10,000 


Making  a  total  of    ...     .     90,000 

as  an  average  annual  return  for  the  hsk 
eight  or  ten  years. 

"  In  the  northwest,  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  purchase  from  the  Indians  but  a 
very  small  number — their  only  market  being 
Canada,  to  which  the  cost  of  transportation 
nearly  equals  the  produce  of  the  furs ;  and 
it  is  only  within  a  very  recent  period  that 
they  have  received  buffalo  robes  in  trade ; 
and  out  of  the  great  number  of  buffalo  au- 
nually  killed  throughout  the  extensive  re- 
gions inhabited  by  the  Camanchos  and  other 
kindred  tribes,  no  robes  whatever  are  fur- 
nished for  trade.  During  only  four  months 
of  the  year,  (from  November  until  March,) 
the  skins  are  good  for  dressing  ;  those  ob- 
tained in  the  remaining  eight  months  being 
valueless  to  traders  ;  and  the  hides  of  bulls 
are  never  taken  off  or  dressed  as  robes  at 
any  season.     Probably  not  more  than  on«- 


[1841. 

!  low  down  up. 
lys  been  very 
appers,  for  the 
5ntly  expressed 
in  driving  the 
mbia  river, 
ice  of  the  buf. 

Rocky  moun- 
ry   diminution, 

tVom  the  fol- 
lie  between  the 
iller  might  start 
or  north  in  the 
neying  by  the 
Missouri  river; 
uice,  liis  road 
e  bands  of  buf- 
)iit  of  bis  view 
in  sigiit  of  tiie 

I  occupy  but  & 
ally  along  the 
lountains,  some- 
thern  extremity 
into  the  plains 
rkansas  rivers, 
n  of  New  Mex- 

which  I  owe  to 
rd,  a  partner  Id 


ny. 


will  furthei 


xtensive  know- 
,1  years  of  travel 
i  by  the  buffalo : 
robes  annually 
lers  will  not  be 
a  the  following 

Robei. 
70,000 
10,000 
>ably     10,000 


IMS.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


8t 


.     90,000 
irn  for  the  las( 

Hudson's  Bay 
Indians  but  a 
ily  market  being 
of  transportation 
)f  the  furs ;  and 
;ent  period  that 

robes  in  trada; 
3r  of  buffalo  au- 

e  extensive  re- 
inuhosand  other 
latever  are  fur- 
inly  four  months 
ler  until  March,) 
ising ;  those  ob- 

ht  months  being 

le  hides  of  bulli 
sed  as  robes  at 

more  than  oiM- 


third  of  the  skins  are  taken  from  the  animals 
killed,  even  when  they  are  in  good  season, 
the  labor  of  preparing  and  dressing  the 
robes  being  very  great ;  and  it  is  seldom 
that  a  lodge  trades  more  than  twenty  skins 
in  a  year.  It  is  during  the  summer  months, 
and  in  the  early  part  of  autumn,  that  the 
greatest  number  of  buffalo  are  killed,  and 
yet  at  this  time  a  skin  is  never  taken  for  the 
purpose  of  trade." 

From  these  data,  which  are  certainly 
limited,  and  decidedly  within  bounds,  the 
reader  is  left  to  draw  his  own  inference  of 
the  immense  number  annually  killed. 

In  1842,  I  found  the  Sioux  Indians  of  the 
Upper  Platte  demontes,  as  their  French 
traders  expressed  it,  with  the  failure  of  tiie 
buffalo  ;  and  in  the  following  year,  large 
villages  from  the  Upper  Missouri  came  over 
to  the  mountains  at  the  heads  of  the  Platte, 
in  search  of  them.  The  rapidly  progressive 
failure  of  their  principal  and  almost  their 
only  means  of  subsistence  has  created  great 
alarm  among  them  ;  and  at  this  time  there 
are  only  two  modes  presented  to  them,  by 
which  they  see  a  good  prospect  for  escaping 
starvation  ;  one  of  these  is  to  rob  the  settle- 
men*  j  along  the  frontier  of  the  States  ;  and 
the  other  is  to  form  a  league  between  the 
various  tribes  of  the  Sioux  nation,  the 
Cheyennes,  and  Arapahoes,  and  make  war 
against  the  Crow  nation,  in  order  to  take 
Irorn  them  their  country,  which  is  now  the 
best  buffalo  country  in  the  west.  This  plan 
they  now  have  in  consideration ;  and  it 
would  probably  be  a  war  of  extermination, 
as  the  Crows  have  long  been  advised  of  this 
state  of  affairs,  and  say  that  they  are  per- 
fectly prepared.  These  are  the  best  war- 
riors in  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  are  now 
allied  with  the  Snake  Indians ;  and  it  is 
probable  that  their  combination  would  ex- 
tend itself  to  the  Utahs,  who  have  long  been 
engaged  in  war  against  the  Sioux.  It  is  in 
this  section  of  country  that  my  observation 
formerly  led  m",  to  recommend  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  military  post. 

The  farther  course  of  our  narrative  will 
give  fuller  and  more  detailed  information 
of  the  present  disposition  of  the  buffalo  in 
Uie  country  we  visited. 

Among  the  roots  we  obtained  here,  I 
could  distinguish  only  five  or  six  different 
kinds ;  and  the  supply  of  the  Indians  whom 
we  met  consisted  principally  of  yampah, 
{anetlium,  graveolens,)  tobacco  root,  {Vale- 
riana,) and  a  large  root  of  a  species  of 
thistle,  {ciiiicium  Virginianum,)  which  now 
if>  occasionally  abundant,  and  is  a  very 
agreeably  flavored  vegetable. 

We  had  been  detained  so  long  at  the  vil- 
lage, that  in  the  afternoon  we  made  only 
4ve  miles,  and  encamped  on  the  same  river 
iftar  a  day's  journey  of  19  miles.     The  In- 


dians informed  us  that  we  should  reach  ths 
big  salt  water  after  having  slept  twice  and 
travelling  in  a  south  direction.  The  stream 
had  here  entered  a  nearly  level  plain  or 
valley,  of  good  soil,  eight  or  ten  miles  broad, 
to  which  no  termination  was  to  be  seen, 
and  lying  between  ranges  of  mountains 
which,  on  the  right,  were  grassy  and  smooth, 
unbroken  by  rock,  and  lower  than  on  the 
left,  where  they  were  rocky  and  bald,  in- 
creasing in  height  to  the  .southward.  On 
the  creek  were  fringes  of  young  willowSi 
older  trees  being  rarely  found  on  the  plains, 
where  the  Indians  burn  the  surface  to  pro- 
duce better  grass.  Several  magpies  {pica 
Hudsonica)  were  seen  on  the  creek  this 
afternoon ;  and  a  rattlesnake  was  killed 
here,  the  first  which  had  been  seen  since 
leaving  the  eastern  plains.  Our  camp  to- 
night had  such  a  hungry  appearance,  that  I 
suffered  the  little  cow  to  be  killed,  and  di- 
vided the  roots  and  berries  among  the  peo- 
ple. A  number  of  Indians  from  the  village 
encamped  near. 

The  weather  the  next  morning  was  clear, 
the  thermometer  at  sunrise  at  44°. 5,  and, 
continuing  down  the  valley,  in  about  five 
miles  we  followed  the  little  creek  of  our 
encampment  to  its  junction  with  a  larger 
stream,  idled  Roseaux,  or  Reed  river.  Im- 
mediately opposite,  on  the  right,  the  range 
was  gathered  into  its  highest  peak,  sloping 
gradually  low,  and  running  off  to  a  point 
apparently  some  forty  or  fifty  miles  below. 
Between  this  (now  become  the  valley  stream) 
and  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  we  journeyed 
along  a  handsome  sloping  level,  which  fre- 
quent springs  from  the  bills  made  occasion- 
ally miry,  and  halted  to  noon  at  a  swampy 
spring,  where  there  were  good  grass  and 
abundant  rushes.  Here  the  river  was  forty 
feet  wide,  with  a  considerable  current ;  and 
the  valley  a  mile  and  a  half  in  breadth  ;  the 
soil  being  generally  good,  of  a  dark  color, 
and  apparently  well  adapted  to  cultivation. 
The  day  had  become  bright  and  pleasant, 
with  the  thermometer  at  71°.  By  observa- 
tion, our  latitude  was  41°  59'  31",  and  uie 
elevation  above  the  sea  4,670  feet.  On  our 
left,  this  afternoon,  the  range  at  long  inter- 
vals formed  itself  into  peaks,  appearing  to 
terminate,  about  forty  miles  below,  in  a 
rocky  cape  ;  beyond  which,  several  others 
were  faintly  visible  ;  and  we  were  disap- 
pointed when  at  every  little  rise  we  did  not 
see  the  lake.  Towards  evening,  our  way 
was  somewhat  obstructed  by  fields  of  arte- 
tnisia,  which  began  to  make  their  appear- 
ance here,  and  we  encamped  on  the  Roseaux, 
the  water  of  which  had  acquired  a  decidedly 
salt  taste,  nearly  opposite  to  a  canon  gap  in 
the  mountains,  through  which  the  Bear  rivet 
enters  this  valley.  As  we  encamped,  th0 
night  set  in  dark  and  cold,  with  heavy  run; 


i  1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NAHKA'"IVE. 


[1843 


ii  1 


and  the  aitetnisia,  which  was  here  our  only 
wood,  was  so  wet  that  it  would  not  burn. 
A  poor,  nearly  starved  dog,  with  a  wound 
in  his  side  from  a  ball,  canio  to  the  camp, 
and  remained  with  us  until  the  winter,  when 
he  met  a  very  unexpected  fate. 

September  1. — The  morning  was  squally 
and  cold ;  the  sky  scattered  over  witii 
clouds;  and  the  night  had  been  so  uncom- 
fortable, that  we  were  not  on  the  road  until 
8  o'clock.  TravelllnLf  between  Roseaiix 
and  Bear  rivers,  we  continued  to  descend 
the  valley,  which  gradually  expanded,  as  we 
advanced,  into  a  level  plain  of  good  soil, 
about  85  miles  in  breadth,  between  moun- 
tains 3,000  and  4,000  foot  high,  rising  sud- 
denly to  the  clouds,  which  all  day  rested  upon 
the  peaks.  These  gleamed  out  in  the  occa- 
sional sunlight,  mantled  with  the  snow  which 
had  fallen  upon  them,  while  it  rained  on  us 
in  the  valley  below,  of  which  the  elevation 
here  was  about  4,500  feet  above  the  sea. 
The  country  before  us  plainly  indicated  that 
we  were  approaching  the  lake,  though,  as 
tl.c  ground  where  we  were  travelling  af 
forded  no  elevated  point,  nothing  of  it  as  yet 
could  be  seen ;  and  at  a  great  distance 
ahead  were  several  isolated  mountains,  re- 
sembling islands,  which  they  were  after- 
wards found  to  be.  On  this  upper  plain  the 
grass  was  everywhere  dead ;  and  among 
the  shrubs  with  which  it  was  almost  exclu- 
sively occupied,  (artemisia  being  the  most 
abundant,)  frequently  occurred  handsome 
clusters  of  iseveral  species  of  dieteria  in 
bloom.  Purshia  tridentata  was  among  the 
frequent  shrubs.  Descending  to  the  bot- 
toms of  Bear  river,  we  found  good  grass  for 
the  animals,  and  encamped  about  300  yards 
above  the  mouth  of  Roseaux,  which  here 
makes  its  junction,  without  communicating 
any  of  its  salty  tasts  to  the  main  stream, 
of  which  the  water  remains  perfectly  pure. 
On  the  river  are  only  willow  thickets, (fa/to; 
longifolia,)  and  in  the  bottoms  the  abundant 
plants  are  canes,  solidago,  and  helianthi, 
ftnd  along  the  banks  of  Roseaux  are  fields 
otmalva  rolundifolia.  At  sunset  the  ther- 
mometer was  at  54'^. 5,  and  the  evening 
clear  and  calm ;  but  I  deferred  making  any 
use  of  jf  until  1  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
when  I  endeavored  to  obtain  an  emersion 
of  the  first  satellite ;  but  it  was  lost  in  a 
bank  of  clouds,  which  also  rendered  our 
usual  observations  indifferent. 

Among  the  useful  things  which  formed  a 
portion  of  our  equipage,  was  an  India-rulj- 
ber  boat,  18  feet  long,  made  somewhat  in 
the  form  of  a  bark  canoe  of  the  northern 
lakes.  The  sides  were  formed  by  two  air- 
tight cylinders,  eighteen  inches  in  diameter, 
connected  with  others  forming  the  bow  and 
atnn.  To  lessen  the  danger  from  accidents 
to  tbe  boat,  these  were  divided  into  four 


different  compartments,  and  the  interioi 
space  was  sufliciently  large  to  contain  five 
or  SIX  persons  and  a  oonsideraijle  weight  of 
baggage.  The  Roseaux  being  too  deep  to 
be  forded,  our  boat  was  filled  with  air,  and 
in  about  one  hour  all  the  equipage  of  the 
camp,  carriage  and  gun  included,  ferried 
acrosb.  Thinking  that  perhajJb  in  the  course 
of  the  day  we  might  reach  the  outlet  at  the. 
lake,  I  got  into  the  boat  witii  Basil  Lajeu. 
nesse,  and  paddled  down  Bear  river,  intend- 
ing  at  night  t(  rejoin  the  party,  which  in 
the  mean  time  proceeded  on  its  way.  The 
river  was  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  yards 
broad,  and  the  water  so  deep,  tliat  even  on 
the  comj)araiively  shallow  points  we  could 
not  reach  the  bottom  with  15  feet.  On 
either  side  were  aiternately  low  bottoms 
and  willow  points,  with  an  occa  ional  high 
prairie  ;  and  for  five  or  six  hours  we  fol- 
lowed slowly  the  winding  course  of  ihe 
river,  which  crept  along  with  a  tjuggish 
current  among  frequent  detours  several 
miles  around,  somelimey  running  for  a  con- 
siderable distance  directly  up  the  valley. 
As  we  were  stealing  quietly  down  the 
stream,  trying  in  vain  to  get  a  shot  at  a 
strange  large  bird  that  was  numerous  among 
the  willows,  but  very  shy,  we  came  unex- 
pectedly upon  several  families  of  Root  Dig- 
gers, who  were  encamped  among  the  rushes 
on  the  shore,  and  appeared  very  busy  about 
several  weirs  or  nets  which  had  been  rude- 
ly made  of  canes  and  rushes  for  the  purpo?i 
of  catching  fish.  They  were  very  much 
startled  at  our  appearance,  but  we  soon  es- 
tablished an  acquaintance  ;  and  finding  that 
they  had  some  roots,  I  promised  to  send 
some  men  with  goods  to  trade  with  them 
They  had  the  usual  very  large  heads,  re- 
markable among  the  Digger  tribe,  with  mat- 
ted hair,  and  were  almost  entirely  naked ; 
looking  very  poor  and  miserable,  as  if  their 
lives  had  been  spent  in  the  rushes  where 
they  were,  beyond  which  they  seemed  to 
have  very  little  knowledge  of  any  thing. 
From  the  few  words  we  could  comprehend, 
their  language  was  that  of  the  Snake  In- 
dians. 

Our  boat  moved  so  heavily,  that  we  had 
made  very  little  progress  ;  and,  finding  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  overtake  the  camp, 
as  soon  as  we  were  sufficiently  far  below 
the  Indians,  we  put  to  the  shore  near  a  hign 
prairie  bank,  hauled  up  the  boat,  and  cached 
our  efllects  in  the  willows.  Ascending  the 
bank,  we  found  that  our  desultory  labor  had 
brought  us  only  a  few  miles  in  a  direct  line ; 
and,  going  out  into  the  prairie,  after  a  search 
we  found  the  trail  of  the  camp,  which  wa^ 
now  nowhere  in  sight,  but  had  followed  the 
general  course  of  the  river  in  a  large  circik 
lar  sweep  which  it  makes  at  this  place.  The 
sun  was  about  three  hours  high  whei  we 


[1843 

1  the  inteiioi 
to  contain  five 
rable  weight  of 
ng  too  deep  to 
d  with  air,  and 
}uipage  of  the 
eluded,  ferried 
)=i  in  the  course 
;ie  outlet  at  the 
1  }3asil  Lajeu> 
,r  liver,  intend- 
)arty,  which  in 
its  way.  The 
hundred  yards 
p,  tiiat  even  on 
omls  we  could 

15  feet.  On 
\f  low  bottoms 
)Cca'ional  high 

hours  we  fol- 
course  of  the 
dth  a  i^uggish 
etours  several 
ning  for  a  con- 
up  the  valley, 
etly  down  the 
;et  a  shot  at  a 
umerous  among 
ve  came  unex- 
Bs  of  Root  Dig- 
nong  the  rushes 
^ery  busy  about 
had  been  rude- 
for  the  purpo?-^, 
ere  very  much 
but  we  soon  es- 
md  finding  that 
omised  to  send 
ide  with  them 
irge  heads,  re- 
tribe,  with  mat- 
entirely  naked ; 
able,  as  if  their 
B  rushes  where 
they  seemed  to 
3  of  any  thing, 
dd  comprehend, 

the  Snake  In- 

y,  that  we  had 
ind,  finding  that 
srtake  the  camp, 
iently  far  below 
lore  near  a  hign 
}oat,  and  cached 

Ascending  the 
ultory  labor  had 
in  a  clireci:  line ; 
e,  after  a  search 
imp,  which  was 
ad  followed  the 
in  a  large  circ»- 
this  place.   The 

high  whei  we 


194S.1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


M 


foand  the  trail ;  and  as  our  people  had  pass- 
ed early  in  the  day,  we  had  the  prospect  of 
a  vigorous  walk  before  us.  Immediately 
where  we  landed,  the  high  arable  plain  on 
which  we  bad  been  travelling  for  several 
days  past  lerminutecl^in  extensive  low  flats, 
very  generally  occupied  by  salt  marshes,  or 
beds  of  shallow  lakes,  wiicnce  the  water 
had  in  most  places  evaporated,  leaving  their 
hard  surface  encrusted  with  a  shining  white 
residuum,  and  absolutely  covered  with  very 
small  univalve  shtilLs.  As  we  advanced,  the 
whole  country  around  us  assumed  this  ap- 
pearance ;  and  there  w;is  no  other  vegeta- 
tion than  the  sluuhby  I'licnopodiaceous  and 
other  apparently  sniiiie  jilants,  whicii  were 
confined  to  the  rising  grounds.  Here  and 
there  on  the  river  bank,  which  was  raised 
like  a  levrr  li'.iove  the  flats  through  which 
it  ran,  was  a  narrow  border  of  grass  and 
short  black-burnt  willows  ;  the  stream  being 
very  deep  and  sluggish,  and  soinetimes  600 
to  800  feet  wide.  After  a  rapid  walk  of 
about  15  miles,  we  caught  sight  of  the  camp 
firec  amon,?  clumps  of  willows  just  as  the 
sun  had  sank  behind  the  mountains  on  the 
west  side  of  the  valley,  filling  the  clear  sky 
with  a  gulden  yellow.  These  last  rays,  to 
us  so  precious,  could  not  have  revealed  a 
more  welcome  sight.  To  the  traveller  and 
the  hunter,  a  camp  fire  in  the  lonely  wilder- 
ness is  always  cheering  ;  and  to  ourselves, 
in  our  present  situation,  after  a  hard  march 
in  a  region  of  novelty,  approaching  the  de- 
bouches of  a  river,  in  a  lake  of  almost  fabu- 
lous reputation,  it  was  doubly  so.  A  plen- 
tiful supper  of  aquatic  birds,  and  the  mter- 
est  of  tho  scene,  soon  dissipated  fatigue ; 
and  I  obtained  during  the  night  emersions 
of  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  satellites  of 
Jupiter,  with  observations  for  time  and  lati- 
tade. 

September  3. — The  morning  was  clear, 
with  a  light  air  from  the  north,  and  the 
thermometer  at  sunrise  at  450.5.  At  3  in 
the  morning,  Basil  was  sent  back  with  sev- 
eral men  and  horses  for  the  boat,  which,  in 
a  direct  course  across  the  flats,  was  not  10 
miles  distant ;  and  in  the  mean  time  there 
was  a  pretty  spot  of  grass  here  for  the 
animals.  The* ground  was  so  low  that  we 
could  not  get  high  enough  to  see  across  the 
river,  on  account  of  the  willows ;  but  we 
were  evidently  in  the  vicinity  of  the  lake, 
and  the  water  fowl  made  this  morning  a 
iwise  like  thunder.  A  pelican  (pelecanus 
onocrotalus)  was  killed  as  he  passed  by,  and 
many  geese  and  ducks  flew  over  the  camp. 
On  the  dry  salt  marsh  here,  is  scarce  any 
other  plant  than  salicornia  herbacea. 

In  the  afternoon  the  men  returned  with 
the  boat,  bringing  with  them  a  small  quan- 
tity of  roots,  and  some  meat,  which  the 
lodiaas  had  told  them  was  bear  meat. 


Descending  the  river  for  about  three  miles 
in  the  afternoon,  we  found  a  bar  to  any 
further  travelling  in  that  direction — the 
stream  being  spread  out  i,i  several  branches, 
and  covering  the  low  grounds  with  water, 
where  the  miry  nature  of  the  bottom  did 
not  permit  any  further  advance.  V/e  were 
evidently  on  the  border  of  the  lake,  al- 
though thc3  rushes  and  canes  which  covered 
the  marshes  prevented  any  view  ;  and  we 
accc  • 'ingly  encamped  at  the  little  delta 
whirl,  Coriiis  the  mouth  of  Bear  river;  a 
long  ar"\  of  the  lake  stretching  up  to  the 
nor'tli  )i.'tv/een  us  and  the  opposite  moun- 
tains. The  river  was  bordered  with  a 
fringe  of  willows  and  canea,  -imong  which 
were  interspersed  a  i'nw  plants ;  and  scat- 
tered about  on  the  marsh  was  a  species  of 
iniiola,  closely  ;iilii' !  to  U.  .spicata  of  our 
sea  coast.  i'lie  whole  morass  was  ani- 
mated with  multitudes  of  water  fowl,  which 
appeared  to  be  very  wild — rising  for  the 
space  of  a  mile  round  about  at  the  sound  of 
a  gun,  wit!i  a  noise  like  distant  thunder. 
Sev»M:,l  of  the  people  waded  out  into  the 
inarshes,  and  we  had  to-night  a  delicious 
supper  of  ducks,  geese,  and  plover. 

Although  the  moon  was  bright,  the  night 
was  otherwise  favorable  ;  and  1  obtained 
this  evening  an  emersion  of  the  first  satel- 
lite, with  the  usual  observations,  A  mean 
result,  depending  on  various  observations 
made  during  our  stay  in  the  neighborhood, 
places  the  mouth  of  the  river  in  longitude 
112°  19'  30"  west  from  Greenwich;  lati- 
tude 410  30'  22";  and,  accordmg  to  the 
barometer,  in  elevation  4,200  feet  above  the 
gulf  of  Mexico,  The  night  was  clear,  with 
considerable  dew,  which  I  had  remarked 
every  night  since  the  first  of  September. 
The  next  morning,  while  we  were  prepar- 
ing to  start,  Carson  rode  into  the  camp  with 
flour  and  a  few  other  articles  of  light  pro- 
vision, sufficient  for  two  or  three  days — a 
scanty  but  very  acceptable  supply.  Mr. 
Fitzpatrick  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  pro- 
visions were  very  scarce,  and  difficult  to  be 
had  at  Fort  Hall,  which  had  been  entirely 
exhausted  by  the  necessities  of  the  emi- 
grants. He  brought  me  also  a  letter  from 
Mr,  Dwight,  who,  in  company  with  several 
emigrants,  had  reached  thstt  place  in  ad- 
vance of  Mr.  Fu"patrii  ,  and  was  about 
continuing  his  journey  '  •      mcouver. 

Returning  about  five  .  .es  up  the  river, 
we  were  occupied  unlii  nearly  sunset  in 
crossing  to  the  Jeft  bank — the  stream,  whlah 
in  the  last  five  or  six  miles  of  its  course  is 
very  much  narrower  than  above,  being  very 
deep  immediately  at  the  banks ;  and  we 
had  great  difficulty  in  getting  our  animals 
over.  The  people  with  the  baggage  were 
easily  crossed  in  the  boat,  and  we  encamjp- 
ed  on  the  left  bank  where  we  crossed  tiw 


86 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[18tt 


rivei.  At  sunset  the  thermometer  was  at 
76°,  and  there  was  some  rain  during  the 
night,  with  a  thunder  storm  at  a  distance. 

September  5. — Befoio  us  was  evidently 
the  bed  of  the  lake,  being  a  great  salt  marsh, 
perfectly  level  and  bare,  whitened  in  places 
by  saline  efflorescences,  with  here  and  there 
a  pool  of  water,  and  having  the  appearance 
of  a  very  level  sea  shore  at  low  tide.  Im- 
mediately along  the  river  was  a  very  nar- 
row strip  of  vegetation,  consisting  of  wil- 
lows, helianthi,  roses,  flowering  vines,  and 
grass;  bordered  on  the  \erge  of  the  great 
marsh  by  a  fringe  of  singular  plants,  which 
appear  to  be  a  shrubby  salicornia,  or  a 
genus  allied  to  it. 

About  12  miles  to  the  southward  was  one 
of  those  isolated  mountains,  now  appearing 
to  be  a  kind  of  peninsula  ,  and  towards  this 
we  accordingly  directed  our  course,  as  it 
probably  afforded  a  good  '  i-\v  of  the  lake  ; 
but  the  deepening  muil  is  we  advanced 
forced  us  to  return  toward  the  river,  and 
gain  the  higher  ground  i.t  ♦he  foot  of  the 
eastern  mountainf3.  Tii"  v.  j  halted  for  a 
few  minutes  at  norn,  on  a  beautiful  little 
stream  of  pure  and  u  iw.r!iai.'y  clear  water, 
with  a  bed  of  rocs  im,  on  which  was  an 
abundant  water  plant  \.  i**'  white  blossom. 
There  was  good  grass  i  /ottoms ;  and, 

amidst  a  rather  luxuriant  j^ivwth,  its  banks 
were  bordered  with  a  large  showy  plant, 
(eupatorium  purpureum,)  which  I  here  saw 
for  the  first  time.  We  named  the  stream 
Clear  creek. 

We  continued  our  way  along  the  moun- 
tain, having  found  here  a  broad  plainly 
beaten  trail,  over  what  v;as  apparently  the 
shore  of  the  lake  in  the  spring  ;  the  ground 
being  high  and  firm,  ami  the  soil  excellent 
and  covered  with  vegetation,  among  which 
a  leguminous  plant  {glycyrrhiza  lepidota) 
was  a  characteristic  plant.  The  ridge  here 
rises  abruptly  to  the  height  of  about  4,000 
feet ;  its  face  being  very  prominently  mark- 
ed with  a  massive  stratum  of  rose-colored 
granular  quartz,  which  is  evidently  an  al- 
tered sedimentary  rocii ;  the  lines  of  de- 
position being  very  distinct.  It  is  rocky 
and  steep;  divided  into  se\eral  mountains; 
and  the  rain  in  the  vyliey  appears  to  be  al- 
ways snow  on  their  sjinmits  at  this  season. 
Near  a  remarkable  rocky  point  of  the 
mountain,  at  a  large  spring  of  pure  water, 
were  sc  oral  hackberry  trees,  {cell is,)  prob- 
ably a  n.  w  species,  tin;  herr'^s  still  green  ; 
and  a  tiort  distance  farthc:,  thickets  of 
sumach,  {ikus.) 

On  the  plain  here  I  noticed  blackbirds 
and  grouRfc.  In  about  seven  miles  from 
Clear  creek,  the  trail  brought  us  to  a  plaae 
ftt  the  foot  of  the  mountain  where  there 
IBSued  vvilli  considerable  force  ten  or  twelve 
bot  spiings,  highly  impregnated  with  salt. 


In  one  of  those,  the  thermometer  stood  at 
136°,  and  in  another  at  1320.5 ;  and  the 
water,  which  spread  in  pools  over  the  low 
ground,  was  colored  red.* 

At  this  place  the  trail  we  had  been  follow- 
ing turned  to  the  left,  apparently  with  the 
view  of  entering  a  gorge  in  the  mountain, 
from  which  issued  the  principal  fork  of  a 
large  and  comparatively  well-timbered 
stream,  called  Weber's  fork.  We  accord- 
ingly turned  off  towards  the  lake,  and  en- 
camped on  this  river,  which  was  100  to  150 
feet  wide,  with  high  banks,  and  very  clear 
pure  water,  without  the  slightest  indication 
of  salt. 

September  6. — Leaving  the  encampment 
early,  we  again  directed  our  course  for  the 
peninsular  butte  across  a  low  shrubby  plain, 
crossing  in  the  way  a  slough-like  creek  with 
miry  banks,  and  wooded  with  thickets  of 
thorn  (craticgus)  which  were  loaded  with 
berries.  This  time  we  reached  the  butte 
without  any  difficulty,  and,  ascending  to  the 
summit,  immediately  at  our  feet  beheld  the 
object  of  our  anxious  search — the  waters  of 
the  Inland  Sea,  stretching  in  still  and  soli- 
tary grandeur  far  beyond  the  limit  of  our 
vision.  It  was  one  of  the  great  points  of  the 
exploration  ;  and  as  we  looked  eagerly  over 
the  lake  in  the  first  emotions  of  excited  plea- 
sure, I  am  doubtful  if  the  followers  of  Balboa 
felt  more  enthusiasm  wlien,  from  the  heights 
of  the  Andes,  they  saw  for  the  first  time  the 
great  Western  ocean.  It  was  certainly  a 
magnificent  object,  and  a  noble  terminus  to 
this  part  of  our  expedition  ;  and  to  travellers 
so  long  shut  up  among  mountain  ranges,  a 
sudden  view  over  the  expanse  of  silent 
waters  had  in  it  something  sublime.  Sever- 
al large  islands  raised  their  high  rocky  heads 
out  of  tl.;3  waves  ;  but  whether  or  not  they 
were  timbered,  was  still  left  to  our  imagina- 
tion, as  the  distance  was  too  great  to  deter- 
mine if  the  dark  hues  upon  t!  ....;  were  wood- 
land or  naked  rock.  Durmg  the  day  the 
clouds  had  been  gathering  black  over  the 
mountains  to  the  westward,  and,  while  we 
were  looking,  a  storm  burst  down  with  sud- 
den fury  upon  the  lake,  and  entirely  hid  the 
islands  fro-  our  v'  .'.  So  far  as  we  could 
isee,  along  i;;e  shores  there  was  not  a  soli- 

*  An  aiiaiysis  of  the  red  earthy  matter  cW- 
posited  in  tlie  bed  of  the  stream  from  the  Bpriag% 

gives  the  following  result : 

Peroxide  of  iron      ....     33.50 


Carbonate  of  magnesia  . 

2.40 

Carboiialo  of  lime  . 

50.43 

Suloliato  of  lime     . 

2.00 

Ciiloride  of  sodium 

3.45 

Silica  and  alumina 

3.00 

Water  and  loss 

.      5.23 

100.00 


[1841 

teter  stood  at 
J0.6;  and  th« 
I  over  the  low 

xd  been  foUow- 
;ntly  with  the 
the  mountain, 
ipal  fork  of  a 
well-timbered 
We  accord- 
lake,  and  en- 
fas  100  to  160 
,nd  very  clear 
test  indication 

!  encampment 
course  for  the 
shrubby  plain, 
like  creek  with 
th  thickets  of 
e  loaded  with 
hed  the  butte 
cending  to  the 
eet  beheld  the 
-the  waters  of 
still  and  soli- 
i  limit  of  our 
at  points  of  tLe 
d  eagerly  over 
)f  excited  plea- 
ivers  of  Balboa 
)m  the  heights 
J  first  time  the 
IS  certainly  a 
le  terminus  to 
id  to  travellers 
tain  ranges,  a 
nse  of  silent 
)lime.  Sever- 
jh  rocky  heads 
er  or  not  they 
)  our  imagina< 
jreat  to  deter- 
...;  were  wood- 
T  the  day  the 
>lack  over  the 
and,  while  we 
own  with  sud> 
ntirely  hid  the 
r  as  we  couU 
vas  not  a  soli- 


thy  matter  d»- 
rom  the  8pring% 

.  33.50 
2.40 
50.43 
2.00 
3.45 
3.00 

.      5J23 


100.00 


1848.1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


tn 


tary  tree,  and  but  little  appearance  of  grass ; 
ana  on  Weber's  fork,  a  few  miles  below  our 
last  encampment,  the  timber  was  gathered 
into  groves,  and  then  disappeared  entirely. 
As  this  appeared  to  be  tiie  nearest  point  to 
the  lake  where  a  .suitable  camp  could  be 
found,  we  directed  our  course  to  one  of  the 
groves,  where  we  lound  a  handsonio  en- 
campment, with  good  grass  and  an  abun- 
dance of  rushes  (cqnisduTn  hijemale).  At 
sunset,  the  thormoinotnr  was  at  65° ;  tlic 
evening  clear  and  rahn,  with  some  cumuli. 

September  7. — The  nioniing  was  calm  and 
clear,  with  a  tem|)cr;iture  at  sunrise  of  39°.5. 
The  day  was  spent  in  iictivo  preparation  for 
our  intended  voyage  on  tlio  lake.  On  tlie 
edge  of  the  stream  a  favorable  spot  was  se- 
lected in  a  grove,  and,  felling  tlie  timber,  we 
made  astro''-  c.j,dl,  or  horse  pen,  for  the 
animals,  and  a  little  fort  for  the  people  wlio 
were  to  remain.  We  were  now  probably  in 
the  country  of  the  Utah  Indians,  though  none 
reside  upon  the  lake.  The  India-rubber  boat 
was  repaired  with  prepared  cloth  and  gum, 
and  filled  with  air,  in  readiness  for  the  next 
day. 

riie  provisions  which  Carson  had  brought 
with  him  being  now  exhausted,  and  our 
rtock  reduced  to  a  small  quantity  of  roots,  I 
determined  to  retain  with  me  only  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  men  for  the  execution  of 
Dur  design ;  and  accordingly  seven  were 
sent  back  to  Fort  Hall,  under  the  guidance 
of  Francois  Lajeunesse,  who,  having  been 
for  many  years  a  trapper  in  the  country,  was 
considered  an  experienced  mountaineer. 
Though  they  were  provided  with  good  hor- 
ses, and  the  road  was  a  remarkably  plain 
one  of  only  four  days'  journey  for  a  horse- 
nan,  they  became  bewildered  (as  we  after- 
wards learned),  and,  losing  their  way,  wan- 
dered about  the  country  in  parties  of  one  or 
*wo,  reaching  the  fort  about  a  week  after- 
wards. Some  stiaggled  in  of  themselves, 
and  the  others  were  brought  in  by  Indians 
who  had  picked  them  up  on  Snake  river, 
about  sixty  miles  below  the  fort,  travelling 
along  the  emigrant  road  in  full  march  for 
the  Lower  Columbia.  The  leader  of  this 
adventurous  party  was  Francois. 

Hourly  baro.netrical  observations  were 
made  during  the  day,  and,  after  departure  of 
the  party  for  Fort  Hall,  we  occupied  our- 
selves in  continuing  our  little  preparations, 
and  in  becoming  acquainted  with  the  coun- 
try in  the  vicinity.  The  bottoms  along  the 
river  were  timbered  with  several  kinds  of 
willow,  hawthorn,  and  fine  cotton-wood  trees 
(jpopulus  canadensis)  with  remarkably  large 
leaves,  and  sixty  feet  in  height  by  measure- 
ment. 

We  formed  now  but  a  small  family. 
Witk  Mr.  Preuss  and  myself,  Carson,  Ber- 
tiier,  and  Basil  Lajeunesse,  had  been  select- 


ed for  the  boat  expedition — the  first  ever  at- 
tempted on  this  interior  sea ;   and  Badeau, 
with  Dorosier,  and  Jacob  (the  colored  man), 
were  to  be  left  in  charge  of  the  camp.     We 
were  favored  with  most  deliglitful  weather. 
To-night   thero   was   a   brilliant   sunset  of 
golden   orange  and  green,   wliicli    left  the 
western  sky  clear  and  beautifully  pure;   but 
clouds  in  the  cast  made  me  lose  an  occulta- 
tion.      The    summer    frogs    were   singing 
v.rouiid  IIS,  and  the  evening  was  very  plea- 
sant, witli  a  temperature  of  GOo — a  night  of 
a  more  southern  autumn.     For  our  supper 
we  iiail  ijampnli,  the  most  agreeably  flavored 
of  the  roots,  seasoned  by  a  small  fat  duck, 
which  had  come  in  the  way  of  Jacob's  rifle. 
Around  our  fire  to-night  were  many  specu- 
lations on  what  to-morrow  would  bring  forth, 
and  in  our  busy  coni'^  -'ures  we  fancied  that 
we  should  find  every  one  of  the  large  islands 
a  tangled  wilderness  of  trees  and  slirubbery, 
teeming  with  game  of  every  description  that 
the  neighboring  region  ailbrded,  and  which 
the  foot  of  a  white  man  or  Indian  had  never 
violated,     i'requently,  during  the  day,  clouds 
I:a,l   rested   on  the  summits  of  their  lofty 
mountains,  and  we  believed  that  we  should 
find  clear  streams  and  springs  of  fresh  water ; 
and  we  indulged  in  anticipations  of  the  lux- 
urious repasts  with  which  we  were  to  in- 
demnify    ourselves     for    past      privations. 
Neither,  in  our  discussions,  were  the  whirl- 
pool and  other  mysterious  dangers  forgotten, 
which  Indian  and  hunter's  stories  attributed 
to  this  unexplored  lake.     The  men  had  dis- 
covered  that,  instead  of  being  strongly  sewed 
(like  that  of  the  preceding  year,  which  had 
so  triumphantly  rode  the  canons  of  the  Up- 
per Great  Platte),  our  present  boat  was  only 
pasted  together  in  a  very  insecure  manner, 
the  maker  having  been  allowed  so  little  time 
in  the  construction,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
crowd  the  labor  of  two  months  into  several 
days.     The  insecurity  of  the  boat  was  sensi- 
bly felt  by  us  ;  and,  mingled  with  the  enthu- 
siasm and  excitement  that  we  all  felt  at  the 
prospect  of  an  undertaking  which  had  never 
before  been  accomplished,  was  a  certain  im- 
pression of  danger,  sufficient  to  give  a  seri- 
ous character  to  our  conversation.     The 
momentary  view  which  had  been  had  of  the 
lake  the  day  before,  its  great  extent  and  rug- 
ged  islands,  dimly  seen  amidst  the  dark 
waters  in  the  obscurity  of  the  sudden  storm, 
were  well  calculated  to  heighten  the  idea  of 
undefined  danger  with  which  the  lake  waa 
generally  associated. 

September  8. — A  calm,  clear  day,  with  a 
sunrise  temperature  of  4lo.  In  view  of  our 
present  enterprise,  a  part  of  the  equipment 
of  the  boa'",  had  been  made  to  consist  in  three 
air-tight  bags,  about  three  feet  long,  and  ca- 
pable each  of  containing  five  gallons.  These 
had  been  filled  with  water  the  night  before. 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NAUIIATIVK. 


[1941 


;,  1 


B  < 


and  were  Bow  placed  in  the  boat,  with  our 
blankets  and  instruments,  consisting  of  a 
sextant,  telescope,  spy-glass,  thermometer, 
and  barometer. 

We  left  the  camp  at  sunrise,  and  had  a 
very  pleasant ,  voyage  down  the  river,  in 
which  there  was  generally  eight  or  ten  feet 
of  water,  deepening  as  we  nearcd  the  mouth 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  day.  In  the  course 
of  the  morning  we  discovered  that  two  of  the 
cylinders  leak,'>d  so  much  as  to  require  one 
man  constantly  at  the  bellows,  to  keep  them 
sufficiently  full  of  air  to  support  the  boat. 
Although  we  had  made  a  very  early  start, 
we  loitered  so  much  on  the  way — stopping 
every  now  and  then,  and  floating  silently 
along,  to  get  a  shot  at  a  goose  or  a  duck — 
that  it  was  late  in  the  day  when  we  reached 
Ihe  outlet.  The  river  here  divided  into 
several  branches,  filled  with  fluvials,  and  so 
very  sliallow  that  it  was  with  difficulty  we 
could  get  the  boat  along,  being  obliged  to  get 
out  and  wade.  We  encamped  on  a  low 
point  among  rushes  and  young  willows, 
where  there  was  a  quantity  of  drift  wood, 
which  served  for  our  fires.  The  evening 
was  mild  and  clear;  we  made  a  pleasant 
bed  of  the  young  willows ;  and  geese  and 
ducks  enough  had  been  killed  for  an  abun- 
dant supper  at  night,  and  for  breakfast  the 
next  morning.  The  stillness  of  the  night 
was  enlivened  by  millions  of  water  fowl. 
Latitude  (by  observation)  41o  11'  26' ;  and 
longitude  112°  11'  30" 

September  9. — The  day  was  clear  and 
calm;  the  thermometer  at  sunrise  at  49°. 
As  is  usual  with  the  trappers  on  the  eve  of 
any  entcjrprise,  our  people  had  made  dreams, 
and  theirs  happened  to  be  a  bad  one — one 
which  always  preceded  evil — and  conse- 
quently they  looked  very  gloomy  this  morn- 
ing ;  but  we  hurried  through  our  breakfast, 
in  order  to  make  an  early  start,  and  have  all 
the  day  before  us  for  our  adventure.  The 
channel  in  a  short  distance  became  so  shal- 
low that  our  navigation  was  at  an  end,  be- 
ing merely  a  sheet  of  soft  mud,  with  a  few 
inches  of  water,  ard  sometimes  none  at  all, 
forminff  the  low-v.  iter  shore  of  the  lake. 
All  this  place  was  absolutely  covered  with 
flocks  of  screaming  plover.  We  took  oft" 
our  clothes,  and,  getting  overboard,  com- 
menced dragging  the  boat — making,  by  this 
operation,  a  very  curious  trail,  and  a  very 
disagreeable  smell  in  stirring  up  the  mud,  as 
we  sank  above  the  knee  at  every  step.  The 
water  here  was  still  fresh,  with  only  an  in- 
sipid and  disagreeable  taste,  probably  do- 
rived  from  the  bed  of  fetid  mud.  After  pro- 
ceeding in  this  way  about  a  mile,  we  came  to 
a  small  black  ridge  on  the  bottom,  beyond 
which  the  water  became  suddenly  salt,  be- 
ginning gradually  to  deepen,  and  the  bottom 
was  Bandy  and  firm.    It  was  u  remarkable 


division,  separating  the  fresh  waters  of  the 
rivers  from  tlio  oriny  water  of  the  lake, 
which  was  entirely  saturated  with  common 
salt.  Pushing  our  little  vessel  across  the 
narrow  boundary,  we  sprang  on  board,  and 
at  length  were  afloat  on  the  waters  of  the 
unknown  sea. 

We  did  not  steer  for  the   mountainnuD 
islands,  but  directed  our  course  towards  a 
lower  one,  which  it  had  been  decided  we 
should  first  visit,  the  summit  of  which  was 
formed  like  the  crater  at  the  upper  end  of 
Bear  river  valley.     So  long  as  we  could 
touch  the  bottom  with  our  paddles,  we  were 
very  gay  ;  but  gradually,  as  the  water  deep- 
ened, we  became  more  still  in  our  frail  ba- 
teau of  gum  cloth  distended  with  air,  and 
with  pasted  seams.    Although  the  day  was 
very  calm,  there  was  a  considerable  swell  on 
the  lake ;  and  there  were  white  patches  of 
foam  on  the   surface,  which  were   slowly 
moving  to  the  southward,  indicating  the  set 
of  a  current  in  that  direction,  and  recalling 
the  recollection  of  the  whirlpool  stories.  The 
water  continued  to  deepen  as  we  advanced ; 
the    lake    becoming    almost   transparently 
clear,  of  an  extremely  beautiful  bright-green 
color;   and  the   spray,  which  was  thrown 
into  the  boat  and  over  our  clothes,  was  di- 
rectly converted  into  a  crust  of  common  salt, 
which  covered  also  our  hands  and  arms. 
"  Captain,"  said  Carson,  who  for  some  time 
had  been  looking  suspiciously  at  some  whit- 
ening   appearances    outside    the     nearest 
island'*,  "  what  are  those   yonder  ? — won't 
you  just  take  a  look  with  the  glass  ?"    We 
ceased  paddling  for  a  moment,  and  found 
them  to  be  the  caps  of  the  waves  that  were 
beginning  to  break  under  the  force  of  a 
strong  breeze  that  was  coming  up  the  lake. 
The  form  of  the  boat  seemed  to  be  an  ad- 
mirable one,  and  it  rode  on  the  waves  like  a 
water  bird ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  it  waa 
extremely  slow  in  its  progress.    When  we 
were  a  little  more  than  half  way  across  the 
reach,  two  of  the  divisions  between  the  cyl- 
inders gave  way,  and  it  required  the  con- 
stant use  of  the  bellows  to  keep  in  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  air.     For  a  long  time  we 
scarcely  seemed  to  r.pproach  our  island,  but 
gradually  we  worked  across  the  rougher  sea 
of  the  open  channel,  into  the  smoother  water 
under  the  lee  of  the  island ;  and  began  to 
discover  that  what  we  took  for  a  long  row 
of  pelicans,  ranged  on  the  beach,  were  only 
low  cliffs  whitened  with  salt  by  the  spray  of 
the  waves  ;  and  about  noon  we  reached  the 
shore,  the  transparency  of  the  water  enabling 
us  to  see  the  bottom  at  a  considerable  depth. 
It  was  a  handsome  broad  beach  where  we 
landed,  bohind  which    the  hill,  into  which 
the  island  was  gathered,  rose  somewhat  ab- 
ruptly ;  and  a  point  of  rock  at  one  end  en- 
closed it  in  a  .  heltering  way ;  and  as  thew 


[1941. 

waters  of  tha 
r  of  the  lake^ 
with  commoBi 
sel  acroBs  the 
on  board,  and 
waters  of  the 

mountainous 
rse  towards  a 
in  decided  we 
of  which  was 
!  upper  end  of 
as  we  could 
idles,  we  were 
he  water  deep- 
in  our  frail  ba- 
with  air,  and 
1  the  day  was 
jrable  swell  on 
lite  patches  of 
1  were  slowly 
ictiting  the  set 
,  and  recalling 
ol  stories.  The 
we  advanced; 

transparently 
111  brignt-green 
h  was  thrown 
ilothes,  was  di- 
f  common  salt, 
ids  and  arms, 
for  some  time 
at  some  whit- 

the  nearest 
onder  ? — won't 
glass  ?"  We 
!nt,  and  found 
aves  that  were 
he  force  of  a 
ig  up  the  lake. 
ii  to  be  an  ad- 
e  waves  like  a 
time,  it  waa 
When  we 
vay  across  the 
tween  the  cyl- 
uired  the  con- 
keep  in  a  suflS- 

long  time  we 
our  island,  hut 
he  rougher  sea 
smoother  water 

and  began  to 
or  a  long  row 
ach,  were  only 
by  the  spray  of 
ve  reached  the 
water  enabling 
iderable  depth, 
each  where  we 
ill,  into  which 

somewhat  ab- 
at  one  end  en- 
' ;  and  as  then 


iMi. 


«.APT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


M 


wu  an  abundance  of  drift  wood  along  the 
shore,  it  offered  ua  a  pleasant  encampment. 
We  did  not  suffer  our  fragile  boat  to  touch 
flie  sharp  rocLs  ;  but,  getting  overboard,  dis- 
charged the  baggage,  and,  Tifling  it  gently 
out  of  the  water,  carried  it  to  the  upper  part 
of  the  beach,  wliich  was  composed  of  very 
gmall  fragments  of  rock. 

Among  the  succcBsive  banks  of  the  beach, 
formed  by  the  action  of  the  waves,  our  atten- 
tion, as  we  approached  the  island,  had  been 
attracted  by  one  10  to  20  foot  in  breadth,  of 
a  dark-brown  color.  Being  more  closely 
examined,  this  was  found  to  be  compsed, 
to  the  depth  of  seven  or  eight  and  twelve 
inches,  entirely  of  the  larva;  of  insects,  or, 
in  common  language,  of  the  skins  of  worms, 
about  the  size  of  a  grain  of  oats,  which  had 
been  washed  up  by  the  waters  of  the  lake. 

Alluding  to  this  subject  some  months  af- 
terwards, when  travelling  through  a  more 
gouthern  portion  of  this  region,  in  company 
with  Mr.  Joseph  Walker,  an  old  hunter,  I 
was  informed  by  him,  that,  wandering  with 
a  party  of  men  in  a  mountain  country  cast 
of  tlic  (Treat  Californinn  range,  he  surprised 
a  party  of  several  Indian  families  encamped 
near  a  small  salt  Inke,  who  abandoned  their 
lodges  at  liis  iipproacli.  leaving  everything  bo- 
hind  them.     Being  in  a  starving  condition, 
they  were  delighted  to  find  in  the  abandoned 
lodges  a  number  of  skin  bags  containing  a 
quantity  of  wliat  appeared  to  l)o  fish,  dried 
and  pounded.     On  tiiis  thoy  made  a  hearty 
supper :    and   were    gathering    around    an 
abundant  breakfast  the  ne.\t  morning,  when 
Mr.   Walker   discovered  that  it  was  with 
these,  or  a  similar  worm,  that  the  bags  had 
been  filled.     The  stomachs  of  the  stout  trap- 
pese  were  not  proof  against  their  prejudices, 
and  the  repulsive  food  was  suddenly  reject- 
ed.   Mr. Walker  had  further  opportunities  of 
seeing  these  worms  used  as  an  article  of  food; 
and  I  am  inclined  to  think  they  are  the  same 
as  those  we  saw,  and  appear  to  be  a  product 
of  the  salt  lakes.    It  may  be  well  to  recall 
to  your  mind  that  Mr.  \Valker  was  associ- 
ated with  Captain  Bonneville  in  his  expedi- 
tion to  the  Rocky  mountains  ;  and  has  since 
that  time  remained  in  the  country,  generally 
residing  in  some  one  of  the  Snake  villages, 
when  not  engaged  in  one  of  his  numerous 
trapping  expeditions,  in  which  he  is  cele- 
brated as  one  of  the  best  and  bravest  leaders 
who  have  ever  been  in  the  country. 

The  clifTs  and  masses  of  rc.k  along  the 
shore  were  whitened  by  an  incrustation  of 
salt  where  the  waves  dashed  up  against 
them  ;  and  the  evaporating  water,  which  had 
been  left  in  holes  and  hollows  on  the  surface 
of  the  rocks,  was  covered  with  a  crust  of  salt 
about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  tiiickness.  It 
appeared  strange  that,  in  the  midst  of  this 
grand  reservoir,  one  of  our  greatest  wants 


lately  had  been  salt.  Exposed  to  be  more 
perfectly  dried  in  the  sun,  this  became  very 
white  and  fine,  having  the  usual  flavor  of 
very  excellent  common  salt,  without  any  for- 
eign taste  ;  but  only  a  little  was  collected  for 
present  use,  as  there  was  in  it  a  number  of 
small  black  insects. 

Carrymg  with  us  the  barometer,  and  other 
instruments,  in  the  afternoon  we  ascended  to 
the  highest  point  of  the  island — a  bare  rocky 
peak,  800  feet  above  the  lake.     Standing  on 
the  summit,  we  enjoyed  an  extended  view  of 
the  lake,  enclosed  in  a  basin  of  rugged  moun- 
tains, which  .sometimes  left  marshy  flats  and 
extensive   bottoms  between   them  and  the 
shore,  and  in  other  places  came  directly  down 
into  the  water  with  bold  and  precipitous  bluffs. 
Following  with  our  glasses  the  irregular 
L-ihores,  we  searched  for  some  indications  of 
a  communicatiore*with  other  bodies  of  water, 
or  the  entrance  of  other  rivers  ;  but  the  dis- 
tance was  so  great  that  we  could  make  out 
nothing  with  certainty.    To  the  southward, 
several  peninsular  mountains,  3,000  or  4,000 
feet  high,  entered  the  lake,  appearing,  so  far 
as  the  ulotancc  and  our  position  enabled  us 
to  determine,  to  be  connected  by  flats  and 
low  ridges  with  the  mountains  in  the  rear. 
These  arc  probably  the  islands  usually  indi- 
cated on  maps  oi  this  region  as  entirely  de- 
tached from  the  shore.    The  season  of  our 
operations  was  when  the  waters  were  at 
their  lowest  stage.     At  the  season  of  hioh 
waters  in  the  spring,  it  is  probable  that  the 
marshes  and  low  grounds  are  overflowed,  and 
the  surface  of  the  lake  cciii.:i;('L"ra!)ly  j;reatcr. 
Tn  several  places  the  view  mup  .if  luilimitod 
extent — here  and  there  a  rocky  islet  appear- 
ing above  the  water  at  a  great  distance ;  and 
beyond,  everything  was  vague  and  undefined. 
As  we  looked  over  the  vast  expanse  of  water 
spread  out  beneath  us,  and  strained  our  eyes 
along  the  silent  shores  over  which  hung  so 
much   doubt    and    uncertainty,  and   which 
were  so  full  of  interest  to  us,  I  could  hardly 
repress  the  almost  irresistible  desire  to  con- 
tinue our  exploration;  but  the  lengthening 
snow  on  the  mountains  was  a  plain  indica- 
tion of  the  advancing  season,  and  our  frail 
linen  boat  appeared  so  insecure  that  I  was 
unwilling  to  trust  our  lives  to  the  uncertain- 
ties of  the  lake.    I  therefore  unwillingly  re- 
solved to  terminate  our  survey  here,  and 
remain  satisfied  for  the  present  with  what  we 
had  been  able  to  add  to  the  unknown  geogra« 
pliy  of  the  region.     Wo  felt  pleasure  also  in 
remembering  that  wo  were  the  first  who,  in 
the  traditionary  annals  of  the  country,  had 
visited  the   i.~lands,   and   broken,  with  the 
cheerful  sound  of  human  voices,  the  long 
solitude  of  the  place.     From  the  point  where 
we  were  standing,  the  ground  fell  off  oa 
every  side  to  the  water,  giving  us  a  perfec 
view  of  the  island,  which  is  twelve  or  thif 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  N ARRATIVR. 


[1841 


a*t.] 


teen  milei)  in  circumference,  being  Himply  a 
rocky  hill,  on  which  there  is  neither  water 
nor  Ircc'H  of  any  kind;  although  the  Fremnn- 
tia  vermu  I'Inris,  wiilch  was  in  groiit  abund- 
ance, mii,nit  easily  be  mistaken  for  timber  at 
a  distance.  The  plant  eeemed  liere  to  de- 
light in  a  congenial  air,  growing  in  extraor- 
dinary luxuriiinre  seven  to  eight  It  et  high, 
and  was  very  abundant  on  the  upper  parts  of 
the  island,  where    it  was  almost   the  only 

[)lant.  This  is  eminently  a  saline  Khrub ;  its 
eaves  have  a  very  salt  taste;  and  it  luxuri- 
ates in  saline  soils,  where  it  is  usually  a  cha- 
racteristic. It  is  widely  difTused  over  all  this 
country.  A  chenopodiaceous  shrub,  which 
is  a  new  species  of  obionk  (O.  rigida,  Twr. 
4*  Frem.),  was  equally  characteristic  of  the 
lower  parts  of  the  island.  These  two  are 
the  striking  plants  on  the  island,  mid  belong 
to  a  class  of  plants  which  form  a  prominent 
feature  in  the  vegetation  of  this  country. 
On  the  lower  parts  of  the  island,  also,  a  prickly 
pear  of  very  large  size  was  frequent.  On  the 
shore,  near  the  water,  was  a  woolly  species 
of  phaca ;  and  a  new  species  of  umbelliferous 
plant  (leplotwrnia)  was  scattered  about  in 
very  concidcrable  abundance.  These  con- 
stituted all  the  vegetation  that  now  appeared 
upon  the  island. 

I  accidentally  left  on  the  Kummit  the  bra^s 
cover  to  the  object  end  of  my  spy-glass  ;  and 
as  it  will  probably  remain  there  undisturbed 
by  Indians,  it  will  furnish  matter  of  specula- 
tion to  some  future  traveller.  In  our  excur- 
sions about  the  island,  we  did  not  meet  with 
any  kind  of  animal ;  a  magpie,  and  another 
larger  bird,  probably  attracted  by  the  nip.o]:^ 
of  our  fire,  paid  us  a  visit  from  the  shore,  nA 
were  the  only  living  things  seen  durii.g  our 
stay.  The  rock  constituting  the  cliffs  along 
the  shore  where  we  were  encamped,  is  a  tal- 
co  V,  or  steatite,  with  brown  spar. 

A  .  .1.  i,3et,  thf  temperature  was  70°.  We 
had  ttiiived  just  in  time  to  obtain  a  meridian 
altitude  of  the  sun,  and  other  observations 
were  obtained  this  evening,  which  place  our 
camp  in  latitude  41"  10'  42",  and  longitude 
112°  21'  05"  from  Greenwich.  Fromadis- 
cussion  of  the  barometrical  observations 
made  during  our  stay  on  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  we  have  adopted  4,200  feet  for  its  ele- 
vation above  the  gulf  of  Mexico.  In  the 
first  disappointment  we  felt  from  the  dissipa- 
tion of  our  dream  of  the  fertile  islands,  I 
called  this  Disappoinlmenl  island. 

Out  of  the  drift  wood,  we  made  ourselves 
pleapant  little  lodges,  open  to  the  water,  and, 
after  having  kindled  large  fires  to  excite  the 
wonder  oi  any  straggling  savage  on  the  lake 
shores,  lay  down,  for  the  first  time  in  a  long 
journey,  in  perfect  security ;  no  one  thinking 
aaouL  hib  ?.?mi..  The  evening  was  extremely 
bright  and  picasant ;  but  the  wind  rose  dur- 
ing cae  night,  xiud  the  waves  began  to  break 


heavily  on  the  shore,  m  iking  «ur  island 
tremble.  I  had  not  expected  m  ^ir  inland 
journey  t  •  hear  the  roar  of  an  w  \n  surf; 
tujd  the  ingeness  of  our  situation,  and  the 
excitement  wo  f'-lt  in  the  associated  intere«t» 
of  the  place,  made  this  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting nights  I  remember  during  our  long 
exii'  ditidii. 

In  the  morning,  the  surf  was  breaking 
heavily  on  tin  bore,  and  we  were  up  early. 
The  lake  was  dark  and  agitated,  and  we  bur- 
ried  through  our  scanty  breakfast,  and  qv^ 
barki'd — having  first  tilled  one  of  the  buckettj 
with  water  from  the  lake,  of  which  it  w  ts 
intended  to  make  salt.  The  sun  had  risen 
by  the  time  we  were  ready  to  start;  and  it 
was  blowing  a  strong  gale  of  wind,  alrnoat 
directly  ofl'  the  shore,  and  rn  ising  a  considera- 
ble sea,  ill  which  our  boat  strained  very 
much.  It  roughened  as  wo  got  away  from 
the  island,  and  it  required  all  the  efforts  of 
the  nun  to  make  iuiy  head  against  the  wind 
and  s*.'a,  the  gale  rising  with  the  sun  ;  and 
there  was  danger  of  being  blown  into  one  of 
the  open  reaches  beyond  the  island.  At  the 
distance  of  half  a  mile  from  the  beach,  the 
(K  pth  of  water  was  16  feet,  with  :i  clay  bot- 
tom ;  but,  as  thi-  working  of  tlu  boat  wa» 
very  severe  labor,  and  during  the  operation 
of  rounding  it  was  necessary  to  cease  pad- 
dling, during  which  the  boat  lost  considera- 
ble way,  I  was  unwilling  to  discourage  the 
men,  and  reluctantly  gave  up  my  intention  of 
ascertaining  the  depth,  and  the  character  of  the 
be  i.  There  was  a  general  shout  in  the  boat 
uhen  we  found  ourselves  in  one  fathom,  and 
"vc  ^"')on  after  landed  on  a  low  point  of  mud, 
i;ninediately  under  the  hutte  of  the  peninsula, 
wiipie  we  unloaded  the  boat,  and  carried  the 
ba^j.f/(ge  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  firmer 
ground.  We  arrived  just  in  time  for  meri- 
dian observation,  and  carried  the  barometer  to 
tlie  summit  of  the  butte,  which  is  500  feet 
above  the  lake.  Mr.  Pieuss  set  off  on  foot  for 
the  camp,  which  was  about  nine  miles  dis- 
tant; Basil  accompanying  him,  to  bring  back 
horses  for  the  boat  and  baggage. 

The  rude-looking  shelter  we  raised  on  the 
shore,  our  scattered  inogago  and  boat  lying 
on  the  beacii,  made  quite  a  picture  ;  and  wo 
called  this  the  fisherman^ s  camp.  Lynosiris 
frraceiilemi,  and  another  new  species  of  obi- 
one  (O.  confertifolia — Torr.  cf-  Frem.),  wera 
growing  on  the  low  grounds,  \v  ith  interspers- 
ed spots  of  an  unwholesome  salt  grass,  on  a 
paline  clay  soil,  with  a  few  other  plants. 

The  horses  arrived  late  in  the  afternoon, 
by  which  time  the  gale  had  increased  to  such 
a  height  that  a  man  could  scarcely  stand 
before  it ;  and  we  were  obliged  to  pack  our 
baggage  hastily,  as  the  rising  water  of  the 
lake  had  already  reached  the  point  where  we 
wore  halted.  Looking  back  as  we  rode  o^ 
we  r-.tnid  the  piace  of  recent  encampment 


[1841 

i|{  1 1'  inland 
in  ur  inland 
II  o{  an  surf  J 
iitioi),  and  the 
iatcd  inter('«ts 
the  most  in- 
jring  our  long 

WRH  breaking 
vere  up  earl/, 
d,  and  wo  hur- 
kfiiHt,  and  en> 
of  tilt'  buckf'tM 
which  it  u  tg 
sun  had  risen 
>  ftart;  and  it 
wind,  almost 
ig  a  considera- 
strained  very 
jot  away  from 
the  efforts  of 
ainst  the  wind 
the  buii  ;  and 
vn  into  one  of 
island.     At  the 
the  beach,  the 
'ith  a  clay  bet- 
'  tlu'  boat  wai 
;  the  operation 
'  to  cease  pad- 
lost  considera- 
Jiscourage  the 
my  intention  of 
character  of the 
out  in  the  boat 
ne  fathom,  and 
'  point  of  mud, 
fthe  peninsula, 
ind  carried  the 
mile  to  firmer 
time  for  meri- 
le  barometer  to 
ch  is  500  feet 
ct  off  on  foot  for 
line  miles  dis- 
1,  to  bring  back 
ge. 

e  raised  on  Ifhe 
and  boat  lying 
cture ;  and  wo 
71/).  Lynosiris 
species  of  OBI- 
f  Frcm.),  were 
vith  interspers- 
salt  grass,  on  a 
her  plants, 
the  afternoon, 
ireased  to  such 
scarcely  stand 
id  to  pack  our 
g  water  of  the 
poi'it  where  we 
an  we  rode  o^ 
it  eacampment 


mt.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


•1 


ontire'y  covered.  The  low  plain  through 
which  wo  rode  to  the  camp  wa«  covered  with 
t  ccitt  lact  growth  of  -hr  ids  of  extraordinary 
lize  anl  luxuriance  'I'lio  soil  whh  nandy 
and  saline;  flat  places,  rrscmblirig  the  bcd^ 
of  pen'  ,  that  were  ,!.e  of  vegetation,  and 
eovuicu  wilh  a  p,iv\ii  ry  white  salt.  Inking 
interspersed  among  the  dhrubH.  Artemisia 
tridentata  was  very  abundant,  but  llio  plants 
«;■:«  principally  siiline  ;  a  Iarj;o  and  vigor- 
>v*!r  chenopodiaceous  shrub,  fivf  to  eight  loot 
ligh,  being  characteristic,  with  Frumontia 
rermicularis,  and  a  phrubhy  plant  which 
seems  to  bo  a  new  Mtiicornia.  \Vc  reached 
the  camp  in  time  to  escape  a  thunder  storm 
which  blackened  the  sky.  and  were  received 
with  a  discharge  if  the  howitzer  by  the 
people,  who,  having  been  unable  to  see  any- 
tliing  of  us  on  the  lake,  had  beguii  to  feel 
some  uneasiness. 

September  11. — To-day  we  remained  at 
this  camp,  in  order  to  obtain  soi  le  further 
observations,  and  to  boil  down  the  water 
which  had  been  brought  from  the  laKi>,  for  a 
supply  of  salt.  Roughly  evaporated  over 
the  liie,  tlio  five  gallons  of  water  yioliied 
fourteen  pints  of  very  fine-grained  and  very 
white  salt,  of  which  the  whole  lake  may  be 
regardo'l  a,  a  t^aturudd  euhition.  A  portion 
of  the  salt  thus  obtained  has  been  subjected 
to  analysis,  giving,  in  100  parts,  the  following 
proportions  : 

Analysis  of  the  salt. 

Chloride  of  sodium  (common  salt)    .  97.80 

Chloride  of  calcium 0.61 

Chloride  of  magnesium 0.24 

Suiphateof  soda 0.'J3 

Sulphate  of  lime 1.12 

100.00 


Glancing  your  eye  along  the  map,  you  will 
see  a  small  stream  entering  the  Utah  lake, 
south  of  the  Spanish  fork,  and  the  first  wa- 
ters of  that  lake  which  our  road  of  1844 
crosses  in  coming  up  from  the  southward. 
When  I  was  on  this  stream  with  Mr.  Walker 
in  that  year,  he  informed  me  that  on  the 
upper  part  of  the  river  are  immense  beds  of 
rock  salt  of  very  great  thickness,  which  he 
liad  frequently  visited.  Farther  to  the  south- 
ward, the  rivers  which  are  affluent  to  the 
Colorado,  such  as  the  Rio  Virgen,  and  Gila 
river,  near  their  mouths,  are  impregnated 
with  salt  by  the  cliffs  of  rock  salt  between 
which  they  pass.  These  mines  occur  in  the 
Bame  ridge  in  which,  about  120  miles  to  the 
northward,  and  subsequently  in  their  more 
immediate  neighborhood,  we  discovered  the 
fossils  belonging  to  the  oolitic  period,  and 
Ihey  are  probably  connected  with  tliat  form- 
tion,  and  are  the  deposite  from  which  the 


Great  LAko  obtains  ita  salt.  Had  we  remain* 
ed  longer,  we  should  have  found  them  in  its 
bed,  and  in  the  mountiiins  around  its  shoroB. 

By  observation,  the  latitude  of  this  camp 
is  41"  Ifi'  60",  and  longitude  112"  OG'  43". 

The  observations  made  during  our  stay 
give  for  the  rate  of  the  cliroinmietor  31  ".72, 
corresjMjnding  almost  exactly  with  the  rate 
"htained  at  St.  Vrain's  fort.  Barometrical 
oliscrvations  were  made  hourly  during  the 
day.  This  morning  we  breakfasted  on  yam- 
pah  i.l  bad  only  kaiiiliH  for  supper;  but  a 
cup  v\  noiid  coffee  still  distinguished  us  from 
our  Dlgirer  acquaintances. 

Scptimber  12. — The  morning  was  clear 
aiiil  calm,  wilh  a  temperature  at  sunri."  of 
32°.  We  resumed  our  journey  late  in  ae 
day,  returning  by  nearly  the  sami*  f'  ite 
which  we  had  travelled  in   comi'  ae 

lake;  and,  avoiding  the  passage  o  >rp 

creek,  struck  the  hills  a  little  bch 
salt  springs.  The  f  t  plain  we 
passed  over  consisted  alternately  v.  .v 

good  sandy  t-iil  and  of  saline  pl..i^..  We 
encamped  early  on  Clear  creek,  at  the  foot 
of  the  iiigh  ridift' ,  one  of  the  peaks  of  which 
we  ascertaineaby  measurement  to  be  4,210 
feel  above  the  Hike,  or  about  8,400  feet  above 
the  .-ca.  IJeliiiul  these  front  peaks  the  ridge 
rises  towards  tlie  Bear  river  mountains, 
which  arc  probably  as  high  as  the  Wind 
river  chain.  This  creek  is  here  unusually 
ut'll  timbered  with  a  variety  of  trees.  Among 
them  were  hi  'i  (Oclula),  the  narrow-leaved 
\)o\thir  (popul us  tnmus/ij'tdiii),  several  kinds 
of  willow  (.^v^/ix),  liawlliorn  (a::'.: ^ii.'<),  al- 
der (ainus  viridis),  and  aerasus,  with  an  oak 
allied  to  qiiercus  alba,  but  very  distinct  from 
that  or  any  other  species  in  the  United 
States. 

We  had  to-night  a  supper  of  sea  gulls, 
which  Carson  killed  near  the  lake.  Although 
cool,  the  thermometer  standing  at  47°,  mus- 
quitoes  were  sufficiently  numerous  to  be 
troublesome  this  evening. 

September  13. — Continuing  up  the  river 
valley,  we  crossed  several  small  streams; 
the  mountains  on  the  right  appearing  to  con- 
sist of  the  blue  limestone,  which  we  had  ob- 
served in  the  same  ridge  to  the  northward, 
alternating  here  with  a  granular  quartz  al- 
ready mentioned.  One  of  these  streams, 
which  forms  a  smaller  lake  near  the  river, 
was  broken  up  into  several  channels  ;  and 
the  irrigated  bottom  of  fertile  soil  was  covered 
with  innumerable  flowers,  among  which  were 
purple  fields  of  eupatoriuni  pnrpureum,  with 
liclianthi,  a  handsome  solidago  (.S.  canaden- 
sis), and  a  variety  of  other  plants  in  bloom. 
Continuing  along  the  foot  of  the  hills,  in  the 
afternoon  wo  found  five  or  six  hot  springs 
gushing  out  together,  beneath  a  conglome- 
rate, consisting  principally  of  fragments  of  a 
greyish-blue  limestone,  efflorescing  a  Bait 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


11.25 


Ititie   |2.5 

|5o  "^^     !!■■ 

■^  IM    12.2 


m 

1.4    IIIIII.6 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


V 


V 


% 


s 


h 


■O' 


^\ 


^ 


c> 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


'"h 


^y 


z 


M 


CAPT.  PREMONTS  NARRATIVE. 


[iHl 


upon  the  surface.  The  temperature  of  these 
springs  was  134°,  and  the  rocks  in  the  bed 
were  colored  with  a  red  deposite,  and  there 
was  common  salt  crystallized  on  the  margin. 
There  was  also  a  white  incrustation  upon 
leaves  and  roots,  consisting  principally  of 
carbonate  of  lime.  There  were  rushes  seen 
along  the  road  this  afternoon,  and  the  soil 
under  the  hills  was  very  black,  and  apparent- 
ly very  good ;  but  at  this  time  the  grass  io 
entirely  dried  up.  We  encamped  on  Bear 
river,  immediately  below  a  cut-off,  the  canon 
by  which  the  river  enters  this  valley  bearing 
north  by  compass.  The  night  was  mild,  with 
a  very  clear  sky;  and  I  obtained  a  very 
excellent  observation  of  an  occultation  of 
Tau.i  Arietis,  with  other  observations.  Both 
immersion  and  emersion  of  the  star  were 
observed  ;  but,  as  our  observations  have 
shown,  the  phase  at  the  bright  limb  general- 
ly gives  incorrect  longitudes,  and  we  have 
adcmted  ihe  result  obtained  from  the  emersion 
at  the  dark  limb,  without  allowing  anv  weight 
to  the  immersion.  According  to  these  ob- 
servations, the  longitude  is  11 2°  05'  12",  and 
the  latitude  41®  42'  43''.  All  the  longitudes 
on  the  line  of  our  outward  journey,  between 
St.  Vrain's  fort  and  the  Dalles  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, which  were  not  directly  determined 
by  satellites,  have  been  chronometically  re- 
ferred to  this  place. 

The  people  to-day  were  rather  low-spirit- 
ed, hunger  making  them  very  quiet  and 
peaceable ;  and  there  was  rarely  an  oath  tb 
be  heard  in  the  camp — not  even  a  solitary 
enjant  de  garce.  It  was  time  for  the  men 
with  an  expected  supply  of  provisions  from 
Fitzpatrick  to  be  in  the  neighborhood ;  and 
the  gun  was  fired  at  evening,  to  give  them 
notice  of  our  locality,  but  met  with  no  re- 
sponse. 

September  14. — About  four  miles  from 
this  encampment,  the  trail  led  us  down  to 
the  river,  where  we  unexpectedly  found  an 
excellent  ford — the  stream  being  widened  by 
an  island,  and  not  yet  disengaged  from  the 
hills  at  the  foot  of  the  range.  We  encamped 
on  a  little  creek  where  we  had  made  a  noon 
halt  in  descending  the  river.  The  night 
vv'as  very  clear  and  pleasant,  the  sunset  tem- 
perature being  67°. 

The  people  this  eveniTig  looked  so  forlorn, 
that  I  gave  them  permission  to  kill  a  fat 
young  horse  which  I  had  purchased  with 
goods  from  the  Snake  Indians,  and  they  were 
very  soon  restored  to  gaiety  and  good  hu- 
mor. Mr.  Preuss  and  myself  could  not  yet 
overcome  some  remains  of  civilized  preju- 
dices, and  preferred  to  starve  a  little  longer ; 
feeling  as  much  saddened  as  if  a  crime  had 
been  committed. 

The  next  day  we  continued  up  the  valley, 
the  Boil  being  sometimes  very  black  and 
good,  occaeionally  gravelly,  and  occasionally 


a  kind  of  naked  salt  plains.  We  fouttd.on 
the  way  this  morning  a  small  encampment 
of  two  families  of  Snake  Indians,  from  whom 
we  purchased  a  small  quantity  of  kooyah. 
They  had  piles  of  seeds,  of  three  different 
kinds,  spread  out  upon  pieces  of  bufiklo  robe ; 
and  the  squaws  had  just  gathered  about  a 
bushel  of  the  roots  of  a  thistle  (circium  Vir- 
ginianum).  They  were  about  the  ordinary 
size  of  carrots,  and,  as  I  have  previously 
mentioned,  are  sweet  and  well  flavored,  re- 
quiring only  a  long  preparation.  They  had 
a  band  of  twelve  or  fifteen  horses,  and  aj^ 
peared  to  be  growing  in  the  sunshine  with 
about  as  little  labor  as  the  plants  they  wera 
eating. 

Shortlv  afterwards  we  met  an  Indian  oi 
horsebaclk  who  had  killed  an  antelope,  which 
we  purchased  from  him  for  a  little  powder 
and  some  balls.  We  crossed  the  Roseau, 
and  encamped  on  the  left  bank;  halting 
early  for  the  pleasure  of  enjoying  a  whole* 
some  and  abundant  supper,  and  were  pleas- 
antly  engaored  in  protracting  our  unusual 
comfort,  \vnen  Tabeau  galloped  into  the 
camp  with  news  that  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  was 
encamped  close  by  us,  with  a  ^ood  supply  of 
provisions — flour,  rice,  and  dried  meat,  and 
even  a  little  butter.  Excitement  to-night 
made  us  all  wakeful ;  and  after  a  breakrast 
before  sunrise  the  next  morning,  we  were 
again  on  the  road,  and,  continuing  up  die 
valley,  crossed  some  high  points  of  hills,  and 
halted  to  noon  on  the  same  stream,  near  seve- 
ral lodges  of  Snake  Indians,  from  whom  we 
purchased  about  a  bushel  of  service  berries, 
partially  dried.  By  the  gift  of  a  kni'e,  I  pre* 
vailed  upon  a  little  boy  to  show  me  ttie  koo- 
yah  plant,  which  proved  to  be  Valeriana  eiu* 
lis.  The  root,  which  constitutes  the  kooydh, 
is  large,  of  a  very  bright  yellow  color,  with 
the  characteristic  odor,  but  not  so  fully  de* 
veloped  as  in  the  prepared  substance.  It 
loves  the  rich  moist  soil  of  river  boUoms, 
which  was  the  locality  in  which  I  always  af- 
terwards found  it.  It  was  now  entirely  out 
of  bloom ;  according  to  my  observation, 
flowering  in  the  months  of  May  and  June. 
In  the  afternoon  we  entered  a  long  ravine 
leading  to  a  pass  in  the  dividing  ridge  be- 
tween the  waters  of  Bear  river  and  the 
Snake  river,  or  Lewis's  fork  of  the  Colum* 
bia ;  our  way  being  very  much  impeded,  and 
almost  entirely  blocked  up,  by  compact  flelda 
of  luxuriant  artemisia.  Taking  leave  at  this 
point  of  the  waters  of  Bear  river,  and  of  the 
geographical  basin  which  encloses  the  syi* 
tem  of  rivers  and  creeks  which  belong  to 
the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  which  so  richly  de* 
serves  a  future  detailed  and  ample  explora* 
tion,  I  can  say  of  it,  in  general  terms,  that 
the  bottoms  of  this  river  (Bear),  and  of  some 
of  the  creeks  which  I  saw,  form  a  natural 
resting  and  recruiting  station  for  traveileiVi 


[1^1     I    1848.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


We  fouDd.Wi 

I  encampment 
ns,  from  whom 
tity  of  kooydK, 
three  different 
of  buffalo  robe; 
thered  about  a 
5  (circium  Vir- 
it  the  ordinary 
ave  previously 

II  flavored,  le- 
on.  They  had 
lorses,  and  ap- 

sunshine  with 
ants  they  wera 

t  an  Indian  oi 
antelope,  which 
a  little  powder 
d  the  Roseau, 
bank ;   halting 
loying  a  whole- 
and  were  pleas- 
ig  our  unusual 
iloped  into  the 
Fitzpatrick  wai 
a  good  supply  of 
dried  meat,  and 
itement  to-night 
after  a  breakfast 
iming,  we  were 
mtinuing  up  the 
oints  of  hills,  and 
tream,  near  seve" 
3,  from  whom  w« 
f  service  berries, 
i  of  a  kni*ie,  I  pre- 
show  me  IL«  koO' 
be  Valeriana  edvi- 
:itutes  the  kooydh, 
rellow  color,  with 
t  not  so  fully  de- 
ed substance.    It 
of  river  bo*toms, 
vhich  I  always  at 
now  entirely  out 
my  observation, 
)f  May  and  June, 
•ed  a  long  ravine 
dividing  ridge  be- 
lar  river  and  the 
)rk  of  the  Colum- 
nuch  impeded,  and 
(,  by  compact  fields 
'aking  leave  at  this 
ir  river,  and  of  the 
encloses  the  syi* 
I  which  belong  to 
which  so  richly  da- 
nd  ample  explor*- 
reneral  terms,  that 
Bear),  and  of  some 
w,  form  a  natural 
ition  for  travell«r», 


low,  and  in  all  time  to  come.  The  bottoms  I 
are  extensive ;  water  excellent;  timber  snffi- 1 
eient ;  the  soil  good,  and  well  adapted  to  the 
grains  and  grasses  suited  to  such  an  elevat- 
ed region.  A  military  post,  and  a  civilized 
settlement,  would  be  of  great  value  here; 
and  cattle  and  horses  would  do  well  where 
grass  and  salt  so  much  abound.  The  lake 
will  furnish  exhaustless  supplies  cf  salt.  All 
the  mountain  sides  here  are  covered  with  a 
valuable  nutritious  grass,  called  bunch  grass, 
from  the  form  in  which  it  grows,  whicn  has 
a  second  growth  in  the  fall.  The  beasts  of 
the  Indians  were  fat  upon  it ;  our  own  found 
it  a  good  subsistence  ;  and  its  quantity  will 
sastain  any  amount  of  cattle,  and  make  this 
truly  a  bucolic  region. 

We  met  here  an  Indian  family  on  horse- 
back, which  had  been  out  to  gather  service 
berries,  and  were  returning  loaded.  This 
tree  was  scattered  about  on  the  hills  ;  and 
die  upper  part  of  the  pass  was  timbered  with 
aspen  (pcjmZus  trem.) ;  the  common  blue 
flowering  flax  occurring  among  the  plants. 
The  approach  to  the  pass  was  very  steep ; 
and  the  summit  about  6,300  feet  above  the 
sea — probably  only  an  uncertain  approxima- 
tion, as  at  the  time  of  observation  it  was 
blowing  a  violent  gale  of  wind  from  the 
northwest,  with  cumvli  scattered  in  masses 
over  the  sky,  the  day  otherwise  bright  and 
clear.  We  descended,  by  a  steep  slope,  into 
a  broad  open  valley — good  soil ;  from  four 
to  five  miles  wide ;  coming  down  immediate- 
ly upon  one  of  the  headwaters  of  the  Pan- 
nack  river,  which  here  loses  itself  in  swampy 
ground.  The  appearance  of  the  country 
here  is  not  very  interesting.  On  either  side 
is  a  regular  range  of  mountains  of  the  usual 
character,  with  a  little  timber,  tolerably 
rocky  on  the  right,  and  higher  and  more 
smooth  on  the  left,  with  still  higher  peaks 
looking  out  above  the  range.  The  valley 
afforded  a  good  level  road  ;  but  it  was  late 
when  it  brought  us  to  water,  and  we  en- 
camped at  dark.  The  northwest  wind  had 
blown  up  very  cold  weather,  and  the  arte- 
misia,  which  was  our  fire  wood  to-night,  did 
not  happen  to  be  very  abundant.  This  plant 
loves  a  dry,  sandy  soil,  and  cannot  grow  in 
the  good  bottoms  where  it  is  rich  and  moist, 
but  on  every  little  eminence,  where  water 
does  not  rest  long,  it  maintains  absolute  pos- 
session. Elevation  above  the  sea  about 
5,100  feet. 

At  night  scattered  fires  glimmered  along 
the  mountains,  pointing  out  camps  of  the 
Indians ;  and  we  contrasted  the  comparative 
security  in  which  we  travelled  through  this 
country,  with  the  guarded  vigilance  we  were 
compelled  to  exert  among  the  Sioux  and 
other  Indians  on  the  eastern  Bide  of  tlie 
Itocky  mountains. 


At  sunset  the  thermometer  was  at  dO^,  and 

at  midnight  at  30*. 

September  1 7. — The  morning  sky  was  calm 
and  clear,  the  temperature  at  naylight  being 
25o,  and  at  sunrise  20o.  There  is  through- 
out this  mountain  country  a  remarkable  dif- 
ference between  the  morning  and  midday 
temperatures,  which  at  this  season  was  very 
generally  40o  or  50o,  and  occasionally  great- 
er ;  and  frequently,  after  a  very  frosty  mom 
ing,  the  heat  in  a  few  hours  would  render 
the  thinnest  clothing  agreeable.  About  noon 
we  reached  the  main  fork.  The  Pannack 
river  was  before  us ;  the  valley  being  here  li 
mile  wide,  fertile,  and  bordered  by  smooth 
hills,  not  over  600  feet  high,  partly  covered 
with  cedar ;  a  high  ridge,  in  which  there  is  a 
prominent  peak,  rising  behind  those  on  the 
left.  We  continued  to  descend  this  stream, 
and  found  on  it  at  night  a  warm  and  comfort- 
able camp.  Flax  occurred  so  frequently  du- 
ring the  day  as  to  be  almost  a  characteristic, 
and  the  soil  appeared  excellent.  The  oppo- 
site hills  on  the  right  are  broken  here  into  a 
great  variety  of  shapes.  The  evening  was 
gusty,  with  a  temperature  at  sunset  of  59°. 
r  obtained,  about  midnight,  an  observation  of 
an  emersion  of  the  first  satellite  ;  the  night 
being  calm  and  very  clear,  the  stars  remark- 
ably bright,  and  the  thermometer  at  SO*. 
Longitude,  from  mean  of  satellite  and  chnv 
nometer,  112°  29'  62";  and  latitude,  by  ob- 
servation, 42°  44'  40". 

September  18. — The  day  clear  and  calm, 
with  a  temperature  of  25*  at  sunrise.  After 
travelling  seven  or  eight  miies,  we  emerged 
on  the  plains  of  the  Columbia,  in  sight  of  the 
famous  "  Three  Buttes,'^  a  well-known  land- 
mark in  the  country,  distant  about  45  miles. 
The  French  word  butte,  which  so  often  occurs 
in  this  narrative,  is  retained  from  the  familiar 
language  of  the  country,  and  identifies  the 
objects  to  which  it  refers.  It  is  naturalized 
in  the  region  of  the  Rocky  mountains ;  and, 
even  rf  desirable  to  render  it  in  English,  I 
know  of  no  word  which  wouJd  be  its  precise 
ecjuivalent.  It  is  applied  to  tlie  detached 
hills  and  ridges  which  rise  abruptly,  and 
reach  too  hign  to  be  called  hills  or  ridges, 
and  not  high  enough  to  be  called  mountains. 
Knob,  as  applied  in  the  western  States,  is 
their  most  descriptive  term  in  English.  Cerro 
is  the  Spanish  term  ;  but  no  translation,  or 
paraphrasis,  would  preserve  the  identity  of 
these  picturesque  landmai  Irs,  familiar  to  the 
traveller,  and  often  seen  at  a  great  distance. 
Covered  as  far  as  could  bo  seen  with  artemisia, 
the  dark  and  ugly  appearance  of  this  plain 
obtained  for  it  the  name  of  the  Sage  Desert ; 
and  we  were  agreeably  surprised,  on  reach- 
ing the  Portneuf  river,  to  see  a  beautifol 
green  valley  with  scattered  timber  spread  out 
beneath  us,  on  which,  about  four  miles  di«> 


li.Ml 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


(1841 


i 


tant,  were  glistening  tlie  white  walls  of  the 
Ibrt.    The  rortneuf  runs  along  the  upland 

Slain  nearly  to  its  mouth,  and  an  abrupt 
escent  of  perhaps  200  feet  brought  us  down 
immediately  upon  the  stream,  which  at  the 
ford  is  100  yards  wide,  and  three  feet  deep, 
wiUi  clear  water,  a  swift  current,  and  eravelfy 
bed  ;  but  a  little  higher  up  the  breadth  was 
only  about  35  yards,  with  apparently  deep 
water. 

In  the  bottom  I  remarked  a  very  great 
number  of  springs  and  sloughs,  with  remark- 
ably clear  water  and  gravel  beds.  At  sunset 
we  encamped  with  Mr.  Talbot  and  our  friends, 
who  came  on  to  Fort  Hall  when  we  went  to 
the  lake,  and  whom  we  had  the  satisfaction 
to  find  all  well,  neither  party  having  met  with 
any  mischance  in  the  interval  of  our  sepa- 
ration. They,  too,  had  had  their  share  of 
fatigue  and  scanty  provisions,  as  there  had 
been  very  little  game  left  on  the  trail  of  the 
populous  emigration ;  and  Mr.  Fitzpatrick 
had  rigidly  husbanded  our  stock  of  flour  and 
light  provisions,  in  view  of  the  approaching 
winter  and  the  long  journey  before  us. 

September  19. — This  morning  the  sky  was 
very  dark  and  gloomy,  and  at  daylight  it  be- 
gan snowing  tluckly,  and  continued  all  day, 
with  cold,  disagreeable  weather.  At  sunrise 
the  temperature  was  43".  I  rode  up  to  the 
fort,  and  purchased  from  Mr.  Grant  (the 
officer  in  charge  of  the  post)  several  very 
indifferent  horses,  and  five  oxen  in  very  line 
order,  which  were  received  at  the  camp  with 
great  satisfaction  ;  and,  one  being  killed  at 
evening,  the  usual  gaiety  and  good  humor 
were  at  once  restored.  Night  came  in 
stormy. 

September  20. — We  had  a  night  of  snow 
and  rain,  and  the  thermometer  at  sunrise  was 
at  34°;  the  morning  was  dark,  with  a  steady 
rain,  and  there  was  still  an  inch  of  snow  on 
the  ground,  with  an  abundance  on  the  neigh- 
boring hills  and  mountains.  The  sudden 
change  in  the  weather  was  hard  for  onr  ani- 
mals, who  trembled  and  shivered  in  the  cold 
— sometimes  taking  refuge  in  the  timber,  anil 
now  and  then  coming  out  and  raking  the 
enow  ofT  the  ground  for  a  little  grass,  or 
eating  the  young  willows. 

September  21. — Ice  made  tolerably  thick 
during  the  night,  and  in  the  morning  the 
weather  cleared  up  very  bright,  with  a  tem- 
perature at  sunrise  of  29° ;  and  I  obtained  a 
meridian  observation  for  latitude  at  the  fort, 
with  observations  for  time.  The  sky  was 
again  covered  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  ther- 
mometer at  sunset  48°. 

September  22. — The  morning  was  cloudy 
and  unpleasant,  and  at  sunrise  a  cold  rain 
commenced,  with  a  temperature  of  41°. 

The  early  approach  of  winter,  and  the  dif- 
ficulty of  supporting  a  large  party,  determin- 
ed me  to  send  back  a  number  of  the  men  who 


had  become  satisfied  that  they  were  not  fittea 
for  the  laborious  service  and  frequent  pri* 
vation  to  which  they  were  necessarily  ez< 
posed,  and  which  there  was  reason  to  believe 
would  become  more  severe  in  the  further 
extension  of  the  voyage.  I  accordingly 
called  them  together,  and,  ftiforming  them  of 
my  intention  to  continue  our  journey  during 
the  ensuing  winter,  in  the  course  of  which 
they  would  probably  be  exposed  to  consideriK 
ble  hardship,  succeeded  in  prevailing  upon  i 
number  of  them  to  return  voluntarily.  ThoM 
were  :  Charles  De  Forrest,  Henry  Lee,  J. 
Campbell,  Wm.  Creuss,  A.  Vasquez,  A.  Pera, 
Patrick  White,  B.  Tesson,  M.  Creely,  Fran- 
(ois  Lajeunesse,  Basil  Lajeunesse.  Amone 
these,  1  regretted  very  much  to  lose  Batu 
Lajeunesse,  one  of  the  best  men  in  my  party, 
who  was  obliged,  by  the  condition  of  his 
family,  to  be  at  home  in  the  coming  winter 
Our  preparations  having  been  completed  in 
the  interval  of  our  stay  here,  botn  parties 
were  ready  this  morning  to  resume  their 
respective  routes. 

E.xcept  that  there  is  a  greater  quantity  of 
wood  used  in  its  construction.  Fort  Hall  very 
much  resembles  the  other  trading  posts  whicb 
have  been  alreudy  described  to  you,  and 
would  be  another  excellent  post  of  relief  for 
tl  •^  emigration.  It  is  in  the  low,  rich  bottom 
of  a  valley,  apparently  20  miles  long,  formed 
by  the  confluence  of  Portneuf  river  with 
Lewis's  fork  of  the  Columbia,  which  it  en- 
ters about  nine  miles  below  the  fort,  anil 
narrowing  gradually  to  the  mouth  of  tiie 
Pannack  river,  where  it  has  a  breadth  of 
only  two  or  three  miles.  Allowing  50  miles 
for  the  road  from  the  Beer  springs  of  Bear 
river  to  Fort  Hall,  its  distance  along  the 
travelled  road  from  the  town  of  Westport,  ob 
the  frontier  of  Missouri,  by  way  of  Fort  I* 
ramie  an'  ;  gr?at  South  Pass,  is  1329 
miles.  I  ''.  this  pkce,  on  the  line  of 
road  alon^^  ^..e  barren  valley  of  the  Uppei 
Co'umbia,  there  does  not  occur,  for  a  dis- 
t;-nce  of  nearly  three  hundred  miles  to  tJK 
wet.^;:\vard,  a  fertile  spot  of  ground  sufficientlj 
large  to  produce  the  necessary  quantity  of 
grain,  or  pasturage  enough  to  allow  even  i 
temporary  repose  to  the  emigrants.  On 
their  recent  passage,  they  had  been  able  ts 
obtain,  at  very  high  prices  and  in  insuffi; 
cient  quantity,  only  such  assistance  as  could 
be  afforded  by  a  small  and  remote  trading 
post — and  that  a  foreign  one — which,  in  ths 
supply  of  its  own  wants,  had  necessari'j 
drawn  around  it  some  of  the  resources  of 
civilisation,  but  which  obtained  nearly  all  iti 
supplies  from  the  distant  depot  of  Vancou' 
ver,  by  a  difficult  water  carriage  of  26J 
miles  up  the  Columbia  river,  and  a  land  car< 
riage  by  pack  horses  of  600  miles. 
American  military  post  sufficiently  strong  to 
give  to  their  road  a  perfect  security  agauut 


Our  ob 
tude  112° 
in  elevatii 
Taking 
resumed 
weather 
ingin  ha 
rectly  in 
neuf  in 
river  beid 
about  IM 
weather 
about  thri 
Pannack [ 
has  a   bi 
temperatf 
partially 
Septet, 
rise  was 
falling  sti 
from    thj 
obliged 
barometrl 
nidnightl 
set  in  frj 
ud  the 
ifternoor 
AnPad  wasi] 
lot  the 


184S.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVK. 


)y  were  not  fittoa 
nd  frequent  pri* 

necessarily  ex- 
reason  to  believe 
e  in  the  furthei 
I  accordingly 
iforming  themof 
ir  journey  during 

course  of  which 
wed  to  consideriF 
prevailing  upon  a 
oluntarily.  ThoM 
3t,  Henry  Lee,  J. 
Vasquez,  A.  Pera,  | 
M.  Creely,  Fran- 
eunesse.    Among  I 
iich  to  lose  Basu  I 
L  men  in  my  party, 
I  condition  of  hitl 
iie  coming  winter 
jeen  completed  io  I 
here,  both  parties 
r  to  resume  their) 


the  Indian  tribes,  who  are  unsettled  in  local- 
ity and  very  uncerlaiii  in  their  disposition, 
and  which,  with  the  necessary  facilities  for 
the  repair  of  their  equipage,  would  be  able 
to  afford  them  relief  in  stock  and  grain  from 
the  produce  of  the  post,  would  be  of  extraor- 
dinary value  to  the  emigration.  Such  a 
post  (and  all  others  which  may  be  establish- 
ed on  the  line  to  Oregon)  would  naturally 
form  the  nucleus  of  a  settlement,  at  which 
supplies  and  repose  would  be  obtained  by 
the  emigrant,  or  trading  caravans,  which 
may  hereafter  traverse  these  elevated,  and, 
in  many  places,  desolate  and  inhospitable 
regions. 

I  subjoin  an  analysis  of  the  soil  in  the 
river  bottom  near  Fort  Hall,  which  will  be 
of  assistance  in  enabling  you  to  form  some 
correct  idea  of  its  general  character  in  the 
neighboring  country.  I  characterize  it  as 
good  land,  but  the  analysis  will  show  its 
precise  propeities. 


Ti-eater  quantity  of 
Ion,  Fort  Hall  very 
trading  posts  which 
ribed  to  you,  ani 
It  post  of  relief  for 
he  low,  rich  bottom 

miles  long,  formed 
ortneuf  river  with 
imbia,  which  it  en- 
lelow  the  fort,  ani 

the  mouth  of  the 
t  has  a  breadth  o( 

Allowing  50  miles 
eer  springs  of  Beat 
distance  along  the] 
)wnof  Westport,ot] 

by  way  of  Fort  I* 
outh  Pass,  is  13231 
kce,  on  the  line  ol 
valley  of  the  Uppal 
ot  occur,  for  a  dii' 
lundred  miles  to  thii 
)f  ground  sufBcientljl 
ecessary  quantity  ol 
iigh  to  allow  even  »1 
he  emigrants.     Oi 
,ey  had  been  able  to 
rices  and  in  insuft' 
li  assistance  as  couli' 
I  and  remote  trading 
n  one — which,  in  the 
nls,  had  necessari'j 

of  the  resources  of 
)btained  nearly  all  iU| 
mt  depot  ofVancou- 
iter  carriage  of  26C| 

river, and  aland  car- 

of  600  miles.  An 
t  sufficiently  strong  to 
rfect  security  agaiMJ] 


Analysis  of  soil. 

9ilicina      -       -        -       - 
Alumina        ... 
Carbonate  of  lime 
Carbonate  of  magnesia   - 
Oxide  of  iron      ... 
Organic  vegetable  matter 
Water  and  loss 


68.. 55 
7.46 
8.51 
6.09 
1.40 
4.74 
4.26 


100.00 


Our  observations  place  this  post  in  longi- 
tude 112"  29'  54",  latitude  43°  01'  30",  and 
in  elevation  above  the  sea  4,500  feei. 

Taking  leave  of  the  homeward  party,  we 
resumed  our  journey  down  the  valley,  the 
weather  being  very  told,  and  the  rain  com- 
ing in  hard  gusts,  which  the  wind  blew  di- 
rectly in  our  faces.  We  forded  the  Port- 
neuf  in  a  storm  of  rain,  the  water  in  the 
river  being  frequently  up  to  the  axles,  and 
|about  110  yards  wide.  After  the  gust,  the 
[Weather  improved  a  little,  and  we  encamped 
about  three  miles  below,  at  the  moutii  of  the 
Pannack  river,  on  Lewis's  fork,  which  here 
has  a  breadth  of  about  120  yards.  The 
temperature  at  sunset  was  42° ;  the  sky 
[partially  covered  with  dark,  rainy  clouds, 

September  23. — ^The  temperature  at  swn- 

Irise  was  32* ;  the  morning  dark,  and  snow 

jfalling  steadily  and  thickly,  with  a  light  air 

Torn    the    southward.     Profited    of   being 

ibliged  to  remain  in  camp,  to  take  hourly 

rometrical  observations   from  sunrise  to 

lidnight.      The    wind    at   eleven    o'clock 

t  in  from  the  northward  in  heavy  gusts, 

id  the  snow  changed  into  rain.      In  the 

fternoon,  when  the  sky  brightened,  the  rain 

washed  all  the  snow  t'rom  the  bottoms  ; 

it  the  neighboring  mountains,  from  sum- 


mit to  foot,  were  luminously  white — an  in- 
auspicious commencement  of  the  autumn, 
of  which  this  was  the  first  day. 

September  24. — The  thermometer  at  sun- 
rise was  36°,  and  a  blue  pky  in  the  west 
promised  a  fine  day.     The  river  bottoms 
here  are  narrow  and  swampy,  with  frequent 
sloughs;  and  after  crossing  the  Pannack, 
the  road  continued  along  the  uplands,  ren- 
dered very  slippery  by  the  soil  of  wet  clay, 
and  entirely  covered  with  artemisia  bushes, 
among  which  occur  frequent  fragments  of 
obsidian.     At  noon  we  encamped  in  a  grove 
of  willows,  at  tiie  upper  end  of  a  group  of 
islands  about  half  a  mile  above  the  American 
falls  of  Snake  river.     Among  the  willows 
here,  were    some    bushes    of   Lewis   and 
Clarke's    currant  {ribes    aureum).      The 
river  here  enters  between  low  mural  banks, 
which  consist  of  a  fine  vesicular  trap  rock, 
the  intermediate  portions  being  compact  and 
crystalline.    Gradually  becoming  higher  in 
its  downward  course,  these  banks  of  scori- 
ated  volcanic  rock  form,  with  occasional  in- 
terruptions, its  characteristic  feature  along 
tiie  whole  line  to  the  Dalles  of  the  Ijower 
Columbia,  resembling  a  chasm  which  had 
been  rent  through  the  country,  and  which 
the  river  Iiad  afterwards  taken  for  its  bed. 
The  immediate  valley  of  the  river  is  a  high 
plain  covered  with  black  rocks  and  artemi- 
sias.     In  the  south  is  a  bordering  range  of 
mountains,  which,  although  not  very  high, 
are  broken  and  covered  with  snow  ;  and  at 
a  great  distance  to  the  north  is  seen  the  high, 
snowy  line  of  the  Salmon  river  mountains, 
in  front  of  which  stand  out  prominently  i| 
the  plain  the  three  isolated  rugged-looking 
little  mountains  commonly  known  as  the 
Three  Buttes.    Between  the  river  and  the 
distant  Salmon  river  range,  the  plain  is 
represented  by  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  as  so  entirely 
broken  up  and  rent  into  chasms  as  to  be  im- 
practicable for  a  man  even  on  foot.    In  the 
sketch  annexed,  the  point  of  vi'^w  is  low,  but 
it  conveys  very  well  some  idea  of  the  open 
character  of  the  country,  with  the  buttes 
rising  out  above  the  general  line.    By  mea- 
surement, the  river  above  is  870  feet  wide, 
immediately  contracted  at  the  fall  in  the 
form  of  a  lock,  by  jutting  piles  of  scoriaceous 
basalt,  over  which  the  foaming  river  must 
present  a  grand  appearance  at  the  time  of 
high  water.     The  evening  was  clear  and 
pleasant,  with  dew  ;  and  p.t  sunset  the  tem- 
perature was  64°.    By  observation,  the  lati- 
tude is  42°  47'  06",  ami  the  longitude  112o 
40'  13'.     A  few  hundred   yards  below  the 
falls,  and  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  is  an 
escarpment  from  which  we  obtained  some 
specimens. 

September  25. — ^Thermometer  at  sunrise 
47°.  The  day  came  in  clear,  with  a  strong 
gale  from  the  south,  whicti  commenced  as  11 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[iStt 


of  the  last  nieht.  The  road  to-day  led  alone 
the  river,  which  is  full  of  rapids  and  small 
fiills.  Grass  is  very  scanty ;  and  along  the 
rugged  banks  are  scattered  cedars,  with  an 
abundance  of  rocks  and  sage.  We  travelled 
14  miles,  and  encamped  in  the  afternoon 
near  the  river,  on  p  rocky  creek,  the  bed  of 
v/hich  was  entirely  occupied  with  boulders 
of  a  very  large  size.  For  the  last  three  or 
four  miles  the  right  bank  of  the  river  has  a 
ralisaded  appearance.  One  of  the  oxen  was 
Killed  here  lor  food.  The  thermometer  at 
evening  was  at  55°,  the  sky  almost  over- 
cast, and  the  barometer  indicated  an  eleva- 
tion of  4,400  feet. 

September  26. — Rain  during  the  night, 
and  the  temperature  at  sunrise  42P.  Trav- 
elling along  the  river,  in  about  4  miles  we 
reached  a  picturesque  stream,  to  which  we 
gave  the  name  of  Fall  creek.  It  is  remark- 
able for  the  many  falls  which  occur  in  a 
short  distance ;  and  its  bed  is  composed  of  a 
calcareous  tufa,  or  vegetable  rock,  composed 
principally  of  the  remains  of  reeds  and 
mosses,  resembling  that  at  the  Basin  spring 
on  Bear  river. 

The  road  along  the  river  bluffs  had  been 
occasionally  very  bad ;  and  imagining  that 
some  rough  obstacles  rendered  such  a  detour 
necessary,  we  followed  for  several  miles  a 
plain  wagon  road  leading  up  this  stream,  un- 
til we  reached  a  point  whence  it  could  be 
seen  making  directly  towards  a  low  place  in 
the  range  on  the  south  side  of  the  valley,  and 
we  became  immediately  aware  that  we  were 
on  a  trail  formed  by  a  party  of  wagons,  in 
company  with  whom  we  had  encamped  at 
Elm  grove,  near  the  frontier  of  Missouri, 
and  which  you  will  remember  were  proceed- 
ing to  Upper  California  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Jos.  Chiles.  At  the  time  of  their  de- 
parture, no  practicable  passes  were  known 
in  the  southern  Rocky  mountains  within  the 
territory  of  the  United  States ;  and  the  pro- 
bable apprehension  of  difficulty  in  attempting 
to  pass  near  the  settled  frontier  of  New 
Mexico,  together  with  the  desert  character 
of  the  unexplored  region  beyond,  had  induced 
them  to  take  a  more  northern  and  circuitous 
route  by  way  of  the  Sweet  Water  pass  and 
Fort  Hall.  They  had  still  between  them 
and  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento  a  great 
mass  of  mountains,  forming  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada, here  commonly  known  as  the  Great 
California  mountain,  and  which  were  at  this 
time  considered  as  presenting  an  impracti- 
cable barrier  to  wheeled  carriages.  Various 
considerations  had  suggested  to  them  a  divi- 
sion of  the  party ;  and  a  greater  portion  of 
the  camp,  including  the  wagons,  with  the 
mail  and  other  stores,  were  now  proceeding 
tinder  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Joseph  Walker, 
who  had  engaged  to  conduct  them,  by  a  long 
■weep  to  the  southward,  around  what  is 


called  the  point  cf  th«  mountain ;  and,  cnm 
in^  through  a  pass  known  only  to  himself 
gain  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento  by  the 
valley  of  the  San  Joaquin.  It  was  a  looir 
and  a  hazardous  journey  for  a  party  in  whicE 
there  were  women  and  children.  Sixtv 
days  was  the  shortest  period  of  time  in  whic). 
they  could  reach  the  point  of  the  mountain, 
antl  their  route  lay  through  a  country  inhab^ 
ited  by  wild  and  badly  disposed  Indians,  and 
very  poor  in  game ;  but  the  leader  was  t 
man  possessing  great  and  intimate  know- 
ledge  of  the  Indians,  with  an  extraordinary 
firmness  and  decision  of  character.  In  the 
meantime,  Mr.  Chiles  had  passed  down  the 
Columbia  with  a  party  of  ten  or  twelve  men, 
with  the  intention  of  reaching  the  settle- 
ments on  the  Sacramento  by  a  more  direct 
course,  which  indefinite  information  from 
hunters  had  indicated  in  the  direction  of  the 
head  waters  of  the  Riviire  aux  Malheurs ; 
and  having  obtained  there  a  reinforcement 
of  animals,  and  a  supply  of  provisions,  meet 
the  wagons  before  they  should  have  reached 
the  point  of  the  mountain,  at  a  place  which 
had  been  previously  agreed  upon.  In  the 
course  of  our  narrative,  we  shall  be  able  to 
give  you  some  information  of  the  fortune 
which  attended  the  movements  of  -these  ad- 
venturous travellers. 

Having  discovered  our  error,  we  imme- 
diately regained  the  line  along  the  river, 
which  the  road  quitted  about  noon,  and  en- 
camped at  5  o'clock  on  a  stream  called  Raft 
river  (Riviere  aux  Cajeux),  having  travelled  \ 
only  13  miles.  In  the  north,  the  Salmon! 
river  mountains  are  visible  at  a  very  far 
distance ;  and  on  tlie  left,  the  ridge  in  which 
Raft  river  heads  is  about  20  miles  distant, 
rocky,  and  tolerably  high.  Thermometer  at 
sunset  44*^,  with  a  partially  clouded  sky,  and 
a  sharp  wind  from  the  SW . 

September  27. — It  was  now  no  longer  pos- 
sible, as  in  our  previous  journey,  to  travel 
regularly  every  day,  and  find  at  any  moment 
a  convenient  place  for  repose  at  noon  or  t 
camp  at  night ;  but  the  halting  places  were 
HOW  generally  fixed  along  the  road,  by  the 
nature  of  the  country,  at  places  where,  with 
water,  there  was  a  little  scanty  grass.  Since 
leaving  the  American  falls,  the  road  had  fre- 
quently been  very  bad ;  the  many  short, 
steep  ascents,  exhausting  the  strength  of  our 
worn-out  animals,  requiring  always  at  such 
places  the  assistance  of  the  men  to  get  up 
each  cart,  one  by  ono;  and  our  progress 
with  twelve  or  fourt.( n  wheeled  carriages, 
though  light  and  made  for  the  purpose,  in 
such  a  rocky  country,  was  extremely  slow; 
and  I  again  determined  tc  gain  time  by  a  di* 
vision  of  the  camp.  Accordingly,  to-dfay  the 
parties  again  separated,  constituted  very 
much  as  before — Mr.  Fitzpatrick  remaining 
in  charge  ot  the  heavier  baggage. 


IMI.] 


CAPT.  FREMONTS  NARRATIVE. 


ff 


t;  aiid,ciow 
ly  to  hinueli; 
mento  by  the 
[t  was  a  loDv 
party  in  whicE 
dren.      Sixty 
time  in  whicl. 
the  mountain, 
:ountry  inhab- 
it Indians,  and 
leader  was  a 
ittmate  know- 
extraordinary 
racter.    In  thie 
issed  down  the 
or  twelve  men, 
ng  the  settle< 
a  more  direct 
brmation  from 
lirection  of  the 
anx  Malheurs; 
,  reinforcement 
irovisions,  meet 
d  have  reached 
t  a  place  which 
upon.    In  the 
shall  be  able  to 
of  the  fortune 
its  of  Ihese  ad- 

rror,  we  imme- 
ilong  the  river, 
it  noon,  and  en- 
ream  called  Raft 
having  travelled  i 
rth,  the  Salmon! 
e  at  a  very  far 
le  ridge  in  which 
!0  miles  distant, 
Thermometer  at 
clouded  sky,  and 

ow  no  longer  pos- 
Durney,  to  travel 
id  at  any  moment 
3se  at  noon  or  a 
,lting  places  were 

the  road,  by  the 
laces  where,  with 
nly  grass.  Since 
,  the  road  had  fre- 
the  many  ehort, 
:he  strength  of  our 
ig  always  at  such 
he  men  to  get  up 
and  our  progress 
vheeled  carriages, 
»r  the  purpose,  in 
s  extremely  slow; 

gain  time  by  a  di- 
)rdingly,  to-day  the 

constituted  very 
:patrick  remaining 
aggage. 


The  morning  was  calm  and  clear,  with  a 
vbite  froBt,  aM  the  temperature  at  sunriM 
24*. 

To-day  the  country  had  a  very  forbidding 
appearance  ;  and,  after  travelling  20  milea 
over  a  slightly  undulating  plain,  we  en- 
camped at  a  considerable  spring,  called 
Swamp  creek,  rising  in  low  grounds  near 
the  pomt  of  a  spur  from  the  mountain.  Re- 
tarnmg  with  a  small  party  in  a  starving  con- 
dition from  the  westward  12  or  14  years 
since,  Carson  had  met  here  three  or  four 
buffalo  bulls,  two  of  which  were  killed. 
They  were  among  the  pioneers  which  had 
made  the  experiment  of  colonizing  in  the 
ndley  of  the  Columbia,  and  which  had 
{uled,  as  heretofore  stated.  At  sunset  the 
thermometer  was  at  46",  and  the  evening 
WHS  overcast,  with  a  cold  wind  from  the 
S£.,  and  to-nieht  we  had  only  sage  for  fire 
wood.  Mingled  with  the  artemisia  was  a 
shrubby  and  thorny  chenopodiaceous  plant. 
September  28. —  Thermometer  at  sunrise 
40*.  The  wind  rose  early  to  a  gale  from 
the  west,  with  a  very  cold  driving  rain  ;  and, 
after  an  uncomfortable  day's  ride  of  25  miles, 
we  were  glad  when  at  evening  we  found  a 
sheltered  camp,  where  there  was  an  abun- 
dance of  wood,  at  some  elevated  rocky  is- 
lands covered  with  cedar,  near  the  com- 
mencement of  another  long  canon  of  the 
river.  With  the  exception  of  a  short  deten- 
tion at  a  deep  little  stream  called  Goose 
creek,  and  some  occasional  rocky  places,  we 
had  to-day  a  very  good  road  ;  but  the  coun- 
tiy  has  a  barren  appearance,  sandy,  and 
densely  covered  with  the  artemisias  from  the 
banks  of  the  river  to  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains. Here  I  remarked,  among  the  sage 
bushes,  green  bunches  of  what  is  called  the 
second  growth  of  grass.  The  river  to-day 
has  haa  a  smooth  appearance,  free  from 
rapids,  with  a  low,  sandy  hill  slope  bordering 
the  bottoms,  in  which  there  is  a  little  good 
Inil.  Thermometer  at  sunset  45°,  blowing 
|i  gale,  and  disagreeably  cold.         ' 

September  29. — The  thermometer  at  sun- 

Irise  36°,  with  a  bright  sun,  and  appearance 

Df  finer  weather.    The  road  for  several  miles 

[was  extremely  rocky,  and  consequently  bad ; 

jbut,  entering  after  this  a  sandy  country,  it 

jbetame  very  good,  with  no  other  interrup- 

iion  than  the  sage  bushes,  which  covered  the 

river  plain  so  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  and, 

nth  their  uniform  tint  of  dark  grey,  gave  to 

liie  country  a  gloomy  and  sombre  appear- 

te.    All  the  day  the  course  of  the  river 

lias  been  between  walls  of  the  black  volca- 

■ic  rock,  a  dark  Jne  of  the  escarpment  on 

lie  opposite  side  pointing  out  its  course,  and 

seeping  along  in  foam  at  places  where  the 

ountains  which  border  the  valley  present 

Iways  on  the  left  two  ranges,  the  lower  one 

i  ipar  of  the  higher ;  and,  on  the  opposite 

7 


side,  the  Salmon  river  mountains  9X9  ▼islMi 
at  a  great  distance.  Having  made  24  mUci|» 
we  encamped  about  5  o'clock  on  Rock  creek 
— a  stream  having  considerable  water,  a  swtft 
current,  and  wooded  with  willow. 

September  30. — Thermometer  at  sunrise 
28°.  In  its  progress  towards  the  river,  ttiis 
creek  soon  enters  a  chasm  of  the  volcanic 
rock,  which  in  places  along  the  wall  presents 
a  columnar  appearance;  and  the  road  be* 
comes  extremely  rocky  whenever  it  passee 
near  its  banks.  It  is  only  about  twenty  feet 
wide  where  the  road  crosses  it,  with  a  deep 
bed,  and  steep  banks,  covered  with  rockjr 
fragments,  witn  willows  and  a  little  grass  oa 
its  narrow  bottom.  The  soil  appears  to  be 
full  of  calcareous  matter,  with  which  the 
rocks  are  incrusted.  The  fragments  of  rock 
which  had  been  removed  by  the  emieranti 
in  making  a  road  where  we  ascended  from 
the  bed  of  this  creek  were  whitened  with 
lime  ;  and  during  the  afternoon's  march  I  re- 
marked in  the  soil  a  considerable  quantity  of 
calcareous  concretions.  Towards  evening 
the  sages  became  more  sparse,  and  the  clear 
spaces  were  occupied  by  tufts  of  green  grass. 
The  river  still  continued  its  course  through 
a  trough  or  open  canon ;  and  towards  sunset 
we  followed  the  trail  of  several  wagons  which 
had  turned  in  towards  Snake  river,  and  en- 
camped, as  they  had  done,  on  the  top  of  the 
escarpment.  There  was  no  grass  here,  the 
soil  among  tiie  sage  being  entirely  naked ; 
but  there  is  occasionally  a  fittle  bottom  along 
the  river,  which  a  short  ravine  of  rocks,  at 
rare  intervals,  leaves  accessible ;  and  by  one 
of  these  we  drove  our  animals  down,  and 
found  some  tolerably  good  grass  borderin|r 
the  water. 

Immediately  opposite  to  us,  a  subterranean 
river  bursts  out  directly  from  the  face  of  the 
escarpment,  and  falls  in  white  foam  to  the 
river  below.  The  main  river  is  enclosed 
with  mural  precipices,  which  form  its  charac- 
teristic feature  along  a  great  portion  of  its 
course.  A  melancholy  and  stranee-lookinff 
country — one  of  fracture,  and  violence,  tma 
fire. 

We  had  brought  with  us,  when  we  sepa- 
rated from  the  camp,  a  large  gaunt  ox,  in  ap- 
pearance very  poor ;  but,  being  killed  to-night, 
to  the  great  joy  of  the  people,  he  was  found 
to  be  remarkably  fat.  As  usual  at  such  oc- 
currences, the  evening  was  devoted  to  gaie^ 
and  feasting;  abundant  fare  now  made  an 
epoch  among  us ;  and  in  this  laborious  life, 
in  such  a  country  as  this,  our  men  had  but 
little  else  to  enjoy.  The  temperature  at  sun- 
set was  65°,  with  a  clear  sky  and  a  very  high 
wind.  By  the  observation  of  the  eveninff, 
the  encampment  was  in  longitude  114*  W, 
04",  and  in  latitude  42°  38'  44".  ■ 

October  1. — The  morning  clear,  with  wind 
from  tiie  west,  and  the  thermometer  at  fifi^J 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


Lisa. 


W«  daiecndad  to  tho  bottom,  taking  with  us  I  chased,  in  exchange  for  goods,  dried  salmoa. 
liw  boat,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  fall  I  At  this  season  they  are  not  very  fat,  butwa 


in  the  opposite  cliSh ;  and  while  it  was  being 
filled  with  air,  we  occupied  ourselves  in 
meaauring  the  river,  which  is  1,786  feet  in 
breadth,  with  banks  200  feet  high.  We 
were  surprised,  on  our  arrival  at  the  opposite 
side,  to  tind  a  beautiful  basin  of  c'car  water, 
formed  by  the  falling  river,  around  which 
the  rocks  were  whitened  by  some  saline  in- 
crustation. Here  the  Indians  had  construct- 
ed wicker  dams,  although  I  was  informed 
that  the  salmon  do  not  ascend  the  river  so 
fiir ;  and  its  character  below  would  apparently 
render  it  impracticable. 

The  ascent  of  the  steep  hill  side  was  ren- 
dered a  little  difficult  by  a  dense  growth  of 
shrubs  and  fields  of  cane ;  and  there  were 
frequent  hidden  crevices  among  the  rocks, 
where  the  water  was  heard  rushing  below ; 
but  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the  main 
stream,  which,  issuing  from  between  strata 
of  the  trap  rock  in  two  principal  branches, 
produced  almost  immediately  a  torrent,  22 
icet  wide,  and  white  with  foam.  It  is  a  pic- 
turesque spot  of  singular  beauty ;  overshaded 
by  bushes,  from  under  which  the  torrent 
glances,  tumbling  into  the  white  basin  below 
where  the  clear  water  contrasted  beautifully 
with  the  muddy  stream  of  the  river.  Its  out- 
let was  covered  with  a  rank  growth  of  canes, 
and  a  variety  of  unusual  plants,  and  nettles 
(urtica  canabina),  which,  before  they  were 
noticed,  had  set  our  hands  and  arms  on  fire, 
"nie  temperature  of  the  spring  was  68°, 
while  that  of  the  river  was  61".  The  per- 
pendicular height  of  the  place  at  which  this 
stream  issues  is  46  feet  above  the  river,  and 
162  feet  below  the  summit  of  the  precipice, 
making  nearly  200  feet  for  the  height  of  the 
wall.  On  the  hill  side  here,  was  obtained  a 
specimen  consisting  principally  of  fragments 
•f  the  shells  of  small  Crustacea,  and  which 
was  probably  formed  by  deposition  from  these 
springs  proceeding  from  some  lake  or  river 
in  Ae  highlands  above. 

We  resumed  our  journey  at  noon,  the  day 
being  hot  and  bright ;  and,  after  a  march  of 
17  miles,  encamped  at  sunset  on  the  river, 
near  several  lodges  of  Snake  Indians. 

Our  encampment  was  about  one  mile  be- 
low the  Fishing  falls,  a  series  of  cataracts 
with  very  inclined  planes,  which  are  proba- 
bly so  named  because  they  form  a  barrier  to 
the  ascent  of  the  salmon ;  and  the  great  fishe- 
ries from  which  the  inhabitants  of  this  bar- 
Ten  region  almost  entirely  derive  a  subsist- 
ence commence  at  this  place.  These  ap- 
C tared  to  be  unusually  gay  savages,  fond  of 
ad  laughter ;  and,  in  their  apparent  good 
nature  and  merry  character,  struck  me  as 
being  entirely  different  from  the  Indians  we 
kid  been  accustomed  to  see.  From  several 
vIm  Tisited  oar  camp  in  the  evening,  we  pur- 


were  easily  pleased.  The  Indians  made  ni 
comprehend,  that  when  the  salmon  came  up 
the  river  in  the  spring,  they  are  so  abundant 
that  they  merely  throw  in  their  spearb  at  ran> 
dom,  certain  of  brinf  ing  out  a  fish. 

These  poor  people  are  but  slightly  pro- 
vided with  winter  clothing ;  there  is  but  lit- 
tle game  to  furnish  skins  for  the  purpose; 
and  of  a  little  animal  which  seemed  to  be  the 
most  numerous,  it  required  20  skins  to  make 
a  covering  to  the  knees.  Hut  they  are  still 
a  joyous  talkative  race,  who  grow  fat  and  be- 
come poor  with  the  salmon,  which  at  leait 
never  fail  them — the  dried  being  used  in  the 
absence  of  the  fresh.  We  are  encamped 
immediately  on  the  river  bank,  and  with  thi 
salmon  jumping  up  out  of  the  water,  and  In- 
dians paddling  about  in  boats  made  of  rushet^  | 
or  laughing  around  the  fires,  the  camp  to- 1 
night  has  quite  a  lively  appearance.  i 

The  river  at  this  place  is  more  open  than 
for  some  distance  above ;  and,  for  the  time, 
the  black  precipices  have  disappeared,  and 
no  calcareous  matter  is  visible  in  the  soil  ( 
The  thermometer  at  sunset  74° ;  clear  and  | 
calm. 

October  2. — The  sunrise  temperature  wu  I 
48°  ;  the  weather  clear  and  calm.  Shortly  if- 
ter  leaving  the  encampment,  we  crossed  tl 
stream  of  clear  water,  with  a  variable  breadth  I 
of  10  to  26  yards,  broken  by  rapids,  and  lieht-l 
ly  wooded  with  willow,  and  havinffa  fttlil 
grass  on  its  small  bottom  land.  The  hui 
renness  of  the  country  is  in  fine  contrast  tiA 
day  with  the  mingled  beauty  and  grandeotl 
of  the  river,  which  is  more  open  thul 
hitherto,  with  a  constant  succession  of  faliil 
and  rapids.  Over  the  edge  of  the  biadi 
cliffs,  and  out  from  their  faces,  are  fall! 
numberless  streams  and  springs  ;  and  i 
the  line  of  the  river  is  in  motion  with 
play  of  the  water.  In  about  seven  mileBi 
reached  the  most  beautiful  and  picturesqi 
fall  I  had  seen  on  the  river. 

On  the  opposite  side,  the  vertical  fall  1 
perhaps  18  feet  high ;  and  nearer,  the  site 
of  foaming  water  is  divided  and  broken  inl 
cataracts,  where  several  little  islands  on^ 
brink  and  in  the  river  above  give  it  mm 
picturesque  beauty,  and  make  it  one  of  tho( 
places  the  traveller  turns  again  and  agaiolj 
fix  in  his  memory.    There  were  seveq 
lodges  of  Indians  here,  from  whom  we 
ded  salmon.      Below  this  place  the  riM 
makes  a  remarkable  bend ;  and  the 
ascending  the  ridge,  gave  us  a  fine  view^ 
the  river  below,  intersected  at  many  pl& 
by  numerous  fish  dams.    In  the  north,  ab 
60  miles  distant,  were  some  high  sno 
peaks  of  the  Salmon  river  mountains ; 
in  the  northeast,  the  last  peak  of  the  ra 
was  visible  at  the  distance  of  perhaps  li 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


Biilea  or  more.  The  river  hills  consist  of 
rery  broken  masses  of  sand,  covered  every- 
where  with  the  same  interminable  fields  of 
e,  and  occasionally  the  road  is  very  heavy, 
e  now  very  frequently  saw  Indians,  who 
weie  strung  along  the  river  at  every  little 
rapid  where  fish  are  to  be  caught,  and  the 
cry  haggai,  haggai  (fish),  wau  constantly 
heard  whenever  we  passed  near  their  huts, 
or  met  them  in  the  road.  Very  many  of 
them  were  oddly  and  partially  dressed  in 
overcoat,  shirt,  waistcoat,  or  pantaloons,  or 
whatever  article  of  clothing  they  had  been 
able  to  procure  in  trade  from  the  emigrants ; 
for  we  had  now  entirely  quitted  the  country 
where  hawk's  bells,  beads,  and  vermilion, 
were  the  current  coin,  and  found  that  here 
only  useful  articles,  and  chiefly  clothing, 
were  in  great  rtqu«et.  These,  however,  are 
eagerly  sought  after ;  and  for  a  few  trifling 
pieces  of  clothing,  travellers  may  procure 
food  sufficient  to  carry  them  to  the  Colum- 
bia. 

,  J      J  ■  ^^  made  a  long  stretch  across  the  upper 

I  disappeared,  am  Bpijin  and  encamped  on  the  blutf,  where  the 
nsible  in  the  wiL"'^       ^        •    -.     .,    . 


iet  74° ;  clear  and 


wass  was  very  green  and  good  ;  tlie  soil  of 
flie  upper  plains  containing  a  considerable 
proportion  of  calcareous  matter.  Tliis  green 
treshnees  of  the  grass  was  very  remarkable 
for  the  season  of  the  year.  Again  we  heard 
he  roar  of  a  fall  in  the  river  below,  where 
le  water  in  an  unbroken  volume  goes  over 
derjcont  of  several  feet.  The  night  is 
lear,  and  the  weather  continues  very  warm 
iud  ploasant,  with  a  sunset  temperature  of 

October  3. — The  morning  was  pleasant, 
ith  a  temperature  at  sunrise  of  42°.    The 
"  was  broken  by  ravines  among  the  hills, 
d  in  one  of  these,  which  made  the  bed  of 
dry  creek,  I  found  a  fragmentary  stratum, 
brecciated    conglomerate,  consisting  of 
inty  slate  pebbles,  with  fragments  of  lime- 
mo  containing  fossil  shells. 
On  the  left,  the  mountains  are  visible  at 
le  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  miles,  ap- 
ring  smooth  and  rather  low ;  but  at  in- 
als  higher  peaks  look  out  from  beyond, 
id  indicate  that  the  main  ridge,  which  we 
leaving  with  the  course  of  the  river,  and 
liiich  forms  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
:eat  Basin,  still  maintains  its  elevation, 
lut  two  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  ford 
lere  the  road  crosses  to  the  right  bank  of 
ke  river.    An  Indian  was  hired  to  con- 
ict  us  through  the  ford,  which  proved  im- 
icable  for  us,  the  water  sweeping  away 
howitzer  and  nearly  drowning  the  mules, 
lich  we  were  obliged  to  extricate  by  cut- 
g  them  out  of  the  harness.    The  river 
is  expanded  into  a  little  bay,  in  which 
are  two  islands,  across  which  is  the 
of  the  ford;  and  the  emigrants  had 
'  by  placing  two  of  their  heavy  wag- 


gons abreast  of  each  other,  so  m  to  oppoM 
a  considerable  mass  againat  the  body  o( 
water.  The  Indians  informed  us  that  ont 
of  the  men,  in  attempting  to  turn  som* 
cattle  which  had  taken  a  wrong  direction, 
was  carried  off  by  the  current  and  drowned. 
Since  their  passage,  the  water  had  risen 
considerably ;  but,  fortunately,  we  had  a 
resource  in  a  boat,  which  was  filled  with  air 
and  launched  ;  and  at  seven  o'clock  we  were 
safely  encamped  on  the  opposite  bank,  the 
animals  swimming  across,  and  the  carriage, 
howitzer,  and  baggage  of  the  camp,  being 
carried  over  in  the  boat.  At  the  place 
where  we  crossed,  above  the  islands,  the 
river  had  narrowed  to  a  breadth  of  1,040 
feet  by  measurement,  the  greater  portion  of 
which  was  from  six  to  eight  feet  deep.  We 
were  obliged  to  make  our  camp  where  we 
landed,  among  the  Indian  lodges,  which 
are  semi-circular  huts  made  of  willow, 
thatched  over  with  straw,  and  open  to  the 
sunny  south.  By  ouservation,  tne  latitude 
of  our  encampment  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  river  was  42°  65'  68";  cnronometric 
longitude  116°  04'  46",  and  the  travelled 
distance  from  Fort  Hall  208  miles. 

October  4. — Calm  pleasant  day,  with  the 
thermometer  at  sunrise  at  47°.  Leaving 
the  river  at  a  considerable  distance  to  the 
left,  and  following  up  the  bed  of  a  rocky 
creek,  with  occasional  holes  of  water,  in 
about  six  miles  we  ascended,  by  a  long  and 
rather  steep  hill,  to  a  plain  600  feet  above 
the  river,  ovor  which  we  continued  to  travel 
during  the  day,  having  a  broken  ridge  '2,000 
or  3,000  feel  high  on  the  right.  The  plain 
terminates,  where  we  ascended,  in  an  es- 
carpment of  vesicular  trap  rock,  which  sup- 
plies the  fragments  of  the  creek  below.  The 
sky  clouded  over,  with  a  strong  wind  from 
the  northwest,  with  a  few  drops  of  rain  and 
occasional  sunlight,  threatening  a  change. 

Artemisia  still  covers  the  pi*'  ",  but  Pur- 
shia  tridentata  makes  its  appea.:  r.ce  here  on 
the  hill  sides  and  on  bottoms  of  •he  creeki 
— quite  a  tree  in  size,  and  larger  than  the 
artemisia.  We  crossed  several  hollowb 
with  a  little  water  in  them,  and  improved 
grass ;  and,  turning  ofif  from  the  road  in  the 
afternoon  in  search  of  water,  travelled  about 
three  miles  up  the  bod  of  a  willow  creek, 
towards  the  mountain,  and  found  a  good 
encampment,  with  wood  and  grass,  and  little 
ponds  of  water  in  the  bed  of  the  creek; 
which  must  be  of  more  importance  at  other 
seasons,  as  we  found  there  several  old  fix- 
tures for  fishing.  There  were  many  holes 
on  the  creek  prairie,  which  had  been  made ' 
by  the  diggers  in  search  of  roots. 

Wind  mcreased  to  a  violent  gale  from  the  - 
N.W.,  with  a  temperature  at  sunset  of  67*. 

October  6. — ^Tbe  morning  was  calm  and 
clear,  and  at  sunrise  the  uermometer ' 


*i 


I«0 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[Ittt.  Intt.] 


ll'i 


•t  83*.  The  road  to-dav  was  occasionally 
•xtremely  rocky,  with  hard  volcanic  frag- 
ments,  and  our  travelling  very  slow.  In 
•bout  nine  milss  the  road  brought  us  to  a 
group  of  smoking  hot  springs,  with  a  tem- 
perature of  164".  There  were  a  few  heli- 
anthi  in  bloom,  with  some  other  low  plants, 
and  the  place  was  green  round  about ;  the 
ground  warm,  and  the  air  pleasant,  with  a 
summer  atmosphere  that  was  very  grateful 
in  a  day  of  high  and  rold  searching  wind. 
The  rocks  were  covered  with  a  white  and 
red  incrustation  ;  and  the  water  haH  on  the 
tongue  the  same  unpleasant  effect  as  that  of 
the  Basin  spring  on  Bear  river.  They  form 
several  branches,  and  bubble  up  with  force 
enough  to  raise  the  small  pebbles  several 
inches. 

The  following  is  an  analysis  of  the  depo- 
sit with  which  the  rocks  are  incrusted : 


Analysis, 
Silica         ... 
Carbonate  of  lime 
Cuibuiiate  of  magnesia 
Oxide  of  iron 
Alumina     ... 
Chloride  of  sodium,  &c.     j 
Sulphate  of  soda  j 

Sulphate  of  lime,  &c.  ] 
Organic  vegetable  matter  | 
Water  and  loee  \ 


72.66 

14.60 

1.20 

4.66 

0.70 

1.10 

6.20 

100.00 


These  springs  are  near  the  foot  of  the  ridge 
(a  dark  and  rueged  looking  mountain),  m 
which  some  of  the  nearer  rocks  have  a  red- 
dish appearance,  and  probably  consist  of  a 
reddish-brown  trap,  fragments  of  which  were 
scattered  along  the  road  after  leaving  the 

Sring.  The  road  was  now  about  to  cross 
e  point  of  this  mountain,  which  we  judged 
to  be  a  spur  from  the  Salmon  river  range.  We 
crossed  a  small  creek,  and  encampra  abont 
sunset  on  a  stream,  which  is  probably  Lake 
river.  This  is  a  small  stream,  some  five  or 
six  feet  broad,  with  a  swift  current,  timbered 
principally  with  willows  and  some  few  cot- 
tonwcMods.  Along  the  banks  were  canes, 
rose  bushes,  and  clematis,  with  Purshia  tri- 
dentata  and  artemisias  on  the  upper  bottom. 
The  sombre  appearance  of  the  country  is 
■omewhat  relieved  in  coming  unexpectedly 
from  the  dark  rocks  upon  these  green  and 
wooded  watercourses,  sunk  in  chasms ;  and, 
in  the  spring,  the  contrasted  eflfect  must  make 
tbem  beautiful. 

The  thermometer  at  sunset  47^,  and  the 
night  threatening  snow. 

October  6. — 'Rie  morning  warm,  the  ther- 
mometer 46°  at  sunrise,  and  sky  entirely 
ckraded.    After  travelling  about  three  miles 


over  an  extremely  rocky  road,  the  voleanie 
fragments  began  to  disappear  ;  and,  enterino 
among  the  hills  at  the  pomt  of  the  mountain 
we  found  ournelves  suddenly  in  a  granite 
country.  Here,  the  character  of  the  vug^ 
tation  was  verv  much  changed  ;  the  artemiRit 
disappeared  almost  entirely,  showing  only  at 
intervals  towards  the  close  of  the  day,  and 
was  replaced  by  Purshia  tridentata,  with  flow- 
ering shrub:),  and  small  fields  ofdieleria  ditari- 
cata,  which  gave  bloom  and  gaiety  to  the  hilli. 
These  were  everywhere  covered  with  a  fresh 
and  green  short  grass,  like  that  of  the  earij 
spring.  This  is  the  fall  or  second  growth, 
the  dried  grass  having  been  burnt  off  by  the 
Indians ;  and  wherever  the  fire  has  jpasied, 
the  bright-green  color  is  universal.  The  soil 
among  the  hills  is  altogether  different  from 
that  of  the  river  plain,  being  in  many  places 
black,  in  others  sandy  and  gravelly,  but  of  a 
firm  and  good  character,  appearing  to  result 
from  the  decomposition  of  the  granite  rockg, 
which  id  proceeding  rapidly. 

In  quitting  for  a  time  the  artemisia  (sage) 
through  which  we  had  been  so  long  voyag. 
ing,  and  the  sombre  appearance  of  which  u 
so  discouraging,  I  have  to  remark,  thatl 
have  been  informed  that  in  Mexico  wheat  ii 
grown  upon  the  ground  which  produces  thii 
shrub ;  which,  if  true,  relieves  the  soil  froo 
the  character  of  sterility  imputed  to  it.  Bt 
this  as  it  may,  there  is  no  dispute  about  the 
grass,  which  is  almost  universal  on  the  hilli 
and  mountains,  and  always  nutritious,  era 
in  its  dry  state.  We  passed  on  the  wtj 
masses  of  granite  on  the  slope  of  a  spur, 
which  was  very  much  weathered  and  abrad- 
ed. This  is  a  white  feldsjpathic  granite,  willi 
small  scales  of  black  mica ;  smoky  quaitij 
and  garnets  appear  to  constitute  this  pottioi 
of  the  mountain. 

The  road  at  noon  reached  a  broken  ri  _ 
on  which  were  scattered  many  boulders'ttj 
blocks  of  granite ;  and,  passing  very  si 
streams,  wnere,  with  a  little  more  than 
usual  timber, was  sometimes  gathered  alii 
wilderness  of  plants,  we  encamped  on 
small  stream,  after  a  march  of  22  miles, 
company  with  a  few  Indians.    Temperati 
at  sunset  61° ;  and  the  night  was  partii 
clear,  with  a  few  stars  visible  through  dril 
ing  white  clouds.    The  Indians  made  an 
successful  attempt  to  steal  a  few  horses  fi 
us — a  thing  of  course  with  them,  and  to  | 
vent  which  the  traveller  is  on  perpeti 
watch. 

October  7. — The  day  was  bright,  cl 

Eleasant,  with  a  temperature  of  46° ;  and 
reakfastcd  at  suniise,  the  birds  singing 
the  trees  as  merrily  as  if  we  were  in 
midst  of  summer.  On  the  upper  edge  of 
hills  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek, 
black  volcanic  rock  reappears ;  and  asc«i 
ing  these,  the  road  passed  through  a ' 


[lltt. 

Ld,  the  volcanie 
and,  entering 
of  the  mounttia, 
ly  in  a  granite 
ter  of  the  vege- 
'd ;  the  artemiiii« 
Rhowing  only  at 
of  the  day,  and 
•ntata,  with  flow- 
ofdieleriaditari. 
I^icty  tothehiili. 
ered  with  a  frenh 
that  of  the  early 
second  growth, 
burnt  off  by  the 
fire  has  pasted, 
i  versa! .    The  soil 
ler  different  from 
g  in  many  place) 
gravelly,  but  of  a 
>pearing  to  result 
the  granite  rocks, 

y-        .  .   ,     . 
e  artemisia  (sage) 

en  BO  long  voya^- 

irance  of  which  u 

to  remark,  that! 

n  Mexico  wheat  it 

hich  produces  thii 

ieves  the  soil  froig 

imputed  to  it. 

>  dispute  about  the 

iversal  on  the  bilii 

lys  nutritious,  evei 

)aesed  on  the  waj 

le  slope  of  a  spur, 

eathered  and  abrad- 

ipaUiic  granite,  witii 

Ilea ;  smoky  quarti 

nstitute  this  portkt 

hed  a  broken  ri(]gi|| 
d  many  boulders  " 

passing  very  so 
little  more  than 
mes  gathered  a  lit 
ive  encamped  on 
arch  of  22  miles, ' 
lians.    Temperatt 

night  was  partia| 
risible  through  dri( 
Indians  made  an  r 
?al  a  few  horses  fn 
rith  them,  and  to  pi 
ler  is  on  perpetn 


r  was  bright,  cle 
ature  of  46<' ;  and\ 
,  the  birds  singing  j 
a  if  we  were  in  ' 
the  upper  edge  oft 
ide  of  the  creek,  I 
ippears;  and  ascea 
ised  through  a^  "^ 


Htf] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


iionnd  which  the  hills  swept  in  such  a  man- 
itr  as  to  give  it  the  appearance  of  an  old 
enter.  Here  were  strata  and  broken  beds 
of  black  Bcoriated  rock,  and  hills  composed 
of  the  same,  on  the  summit  of  one  of  which 
ijiere  was  an  opening  resembling  a  rent. 
We  travelled  to-day  tlirougli  a  country  re- 
lembling  that  of  yenlnrday,  where,  although 
the  surface  was  hilly,  the  read  was  good,  be- 
ing firm,  and  entirely  frco  from  rocks  and 
artemisia.  To  our  loft,  below,  was  the  great 
lage  plain ;  and  on  tiie  rjirht  were  tlin  near 
oountHins,  which  proseiited  a  smoothly 
broken  character,  or  raliu'r  a  surface  waved 
into  numberless  liills.  'IMie  road  wa»  occa- 
iionally  enlivened  by  iii('i<tin|;r  Indiun^,  and 
the  day  was  extremely  bfsiutiful  niul  plens- 
jnt;  and  we  were  pkascd  to  be  free  from  the 
inge,  even  frr  :>  i.\j.y.  When  we  hnd  trav- 
elled about  a  miles,  we  were  nearly  opposite 
to  the  highest  portion  of  the  mountains  on 
the  left  side  of  the  Smoke  river  valley  ;  nnd, 
continuing  on  a  few  miles  beyond,  we  cnnie 
luddenly  in  night  of  the  broad  green  line  of 
the  valley  of  the  Riviire  lioisie  (wooded 
river),  black  near  the  gorge  where  it  de- 
bouches into  the  plains,  with  high  precipices 
of  basalt,  between  walls  of  which  it  passes, 
on  emerging  from  the  mountains.  Follow- 
ing with  the  eye  itn  upward  course,  it  ap- 
pears to  be  shut  in  among  lofty  mountains, 
confining  its  valley  in  a  very  rugged  country. 
Descending  the  hills,  after  travelling  a  few 
niles  along  the  high  plain,  the  road  brought 
II  down  upon  the  bottoms  of  the  river, 
which  is  a  beautiful  rapid  stream,  with  clear 
jnonntain  water,  and,  as  the  name  indicates, 
'ell  wooded  with  some  varieties  of  timber — 
long  which  are  handsome  cottonwoods. 
lach  a  stream  had  become  quite  a  novelty 
this  country,  and  we  were  delighted  this 
rnoon  to  make  a  pleasant  camp  under  fine 
trees  again.  There  were  several  Indian 
icampments  scattered  along  the  river ;  and 
number  of  their  inhabitants,  in  the  course 
the  evening,  came  to  the  camp  on  horse- 
;k  with  dried  and  fresh  fish  to  trade.  The 
'ening  was  clear,  and  the  temperature  at 

It  67". 

At  the  time  of  the  first  occupation  of  this 
ion  by  parties  engaged  in  tlie  fur  trade,  a 
all  party  of  men  under  the  command  of 
Reid,  constituting  all  the  garrison  of  a 
le  fort  on  this  river,  were  surprised  and 
lacred  by  the  Indians ;  and  to  this  event 
le  stream  owes  its  occasional  name  ofReicfs 

On  the  8th  we  travelled  about  26  miles,  the 
""  on  the  right  having  scattered  pines  on 
upper  parts;  and,  continuing  the,  next 
liy  our  road  along  thfe  river  bottom,  after  a 
liy's  travel  of  24  miles  we  encamped  in  the 
~*iiing  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  a  mile 
ve  wB  mouth,  and  early  the  next  morning 


arrived  at  Fort  Itoisi.  This  ia  a  ■impi* 
dwelling-house  on  the  right  bank  of  8nui« 
river,  about  a  mile  below  the  mouth  of 
iiiviirc  Boiss^;  and  on  our  arrival  we  were 
received  with  an  agreeable  hospitality  by  Mr. 
Payette,  an  officer  of  the  Hudson  Hay  Com- 
pany, in  charge  of  the  fort  ;  all  of  whose 
garrison  consisted  in  a  ('anadian  tn^naf-. 

Hero  the  road  recrosses  the  river,  which  ia 
broad  and  deep;  but,  with  our  good  boat, 
aided  by  two  canoes,  which  were  found  at  the 
place,  tlio  camp  was  very  soon  transferred  to 
the  li't't  bank.  Here  we  Ibund  ournelvea 
again  surrounded  by  the  sage ;  artemisia  tri- 
dentata,  and  the  difierent  shrubs  which  during 
our  voyage  had  always  made  their  appear- 
ance abundantly  on  saline  soils,  being  here 
the  prevailing  and  almost  the  only  plants. 
Among  them  the  pifrnce  was  covered  with 
the  usual  Faiiiif  etHorescences,  which  here 
consist  almost  entirely  of  carbonate  of  soda, 
with  a  small  portion  of  chloride  of  sodium. 
Mr.  Payette  had  made  but  slight  attempts 
at  cultivation,  his  'efforts  being  limited  tfl 
raif iriL'  a  lew  vegetables,  in  which  he  sue 
• .  Liled  tolerably  well ;  the  post  being  princi- 
pally supported  by  salmon.  He  was  very 
hospitable  and  kind  to  us,  and  we  made  a 
sensible  impression  upon  all  his  comestibles ; 
but  our  principal  inroad  was  into  the  dairy, 
which  was  abundantly  supplied,  stock  appear- 
ing to  thrive  extremely  well ;  and  we  had  an 
unusual  luxury  in  a  present  of  fresh  butter, 
which  was,  however,  by  no  means  equal  to 
that  of  Fort  Hall — probably  from  some  acci- 
dental cause.  During  the  day  we  remained 
here,  there  were  considerable  numbers  of 
miserable  half-naked  Indians  around  the  fort, 
who  had  arrived  from  the  neighboring  moun- 
tains. During  the  summer,  the  only  sub- 
sistence of  these  people  is  derived  from  the 
salmon,  of  which  they  are  not  provident 
enough  to  lay  up  a  sufficient  store  for  the 
winter,  during  which  many  of  them  die  from 
absolute  starvation. 

Many  little  accounts  and  scattered  histo- 
ries, together  with  an  accjuaintance  which  I 
{gradually  acquired  of  their  modes  of  life,  had 
eft  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  this  vast  r»* 
gion  pictured  in  my  mind  as  a  race  of  people 
whose  great  and  constant  occupation  was  the 
means  of  procuring  a  subsistence;  and  though 
want  of  S(  dce,  ana  other  reasons,  will  prevent 
me  from  detailing  the  many  incidents  which 
made  these  things  familiar  to  me,  this  great 
feature  among  the  characteristics  of  the 
country  will  gradually  be  forced  upon  your 
mind. 

Pointing  to  a  group  of  Indians  who  had 
just  arrived  from  the  mountains  on  the  left 
side  of  the  valley,  and  who  were  regarding 
our  usual  appliances  of  civilisation  with  an 
air  of  bewildered  curiosity,  Mr.  Payette  ia> 
formed  me  that,  every  year  since  his  arrive 


lOf 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVK. 


[1841. 


at  thii  post,  he  had  uniucceaHfiilly  endeavor* 
ed  to  induce  those  people  to  lay  up  a  Htore 
of  Salmon  for  their  winter  provision.  While 
the  summer  weather  and  the  salmon  lasted, 
they  lived  contentedly  and  happily,  Hcattcred 
aloni;  the  diAurcnt  streams  where  the  Hsh  were 
to  bo  foiiiid ;  and  as  soon  as  the  winter  snows 
beffan  to  fail,  little  smokes  would  bo  seen 
rising;  ainoncr  the  mountains,  where  they 
would  be  found  in  miserable  groups,  starving 
out  the  winter;  and  sometimes,  according  to 
the  general  belief,  reduced  to  the  horror  of 
cannibalism — the  strong,  of  course,  preying 
on  the  weak.  Certain  it  is,  they  are  driven 
to  any  extremity  for  food,  and  eat  every  in- 
sect, and  every  creeping  thin^,  however 
loathsome  and  repulsive.  Snails,  liznrdH, 
ants — all  are  devoured  with  the  readiness 
and  greediness  of  mere  animals. 

In  common  with  all  the  other  Indians  we 
had  encountered  since  reaching  the  Pacific 
waters,  tiieso  people  use  the  Slioshonce  or 
Snake  language,  which  you  will  have  occa- 
sion to  remark,  in  the  course  oi'  tlie  narra- 
tive, is  the  universal  language  over  a  very 
extensive  region. 

On  the  evening  of  the  10th,  I  obtained, 
with  the  usual  observations,  a  very  excellent 
emersion  of  the  first  satellite,  agrooing  very 
nearly  with  the  chronometer.  From  these 
observatians,  the  longitude  of  the  fort  is 
116°  47'  00",  latitude  43"  49'  22",  and 
elevation  above  tlm  sea  2,100  feet. 

Sitting  by  the  fire  on  tlie  river  bank,  and 
waiting  for  the  immersion  of  the  satellite, 
which  did  not  take  place  until  after  midniglif, 
we  heard  the  monotonous  song  of  the  In- 
dians, with  which  they  accompany  a  certain 
game  of  which  they  are  very  fond.  Of  the 
poetry  we  could  not  judge,  but  the  music  was 
miserable. 

October  11. — The  morning  was  clear,  with 
a  light  breeze  from  the  east,  and  a  tempera- 
ture at  sunrise  of  33".  A  part  of  a  bullock 
purchased  at  the  fort,  together  with  the  boat 
to  assist  him  in  crossing,  was  left  here  for 
Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  and  at  11  o'clock  we  re- 
sumed our  journey ;  and  directly  leaving  the 
river,  and  crossing  the  artemisia  plain,  in 
several  ascents  we  reached  the  foot  of  a 
ridge,  where  the  road  entered  a  dry  sandy 
hollow,  up  which  it  continued  to  the  head ; 
and,  crossing  a  dividing  ridge,  entered  a 
similar  one.  We  met  here  two  poor  emi- 
grants (Irishmen),  who  had  lost  their  horses 
two  days  since — probably  stolen  by  the  In- 
dians ;  and  were  returning  to  tlie  fort,  in 
hopes  to  hear  something  of  them  there. 
They  had  recently  had  nothing  to  eat ;  and  I 
halted  to  unpack  an  animal,  and  gave  them 
meat  for  their  dinner.  In  this  hollow,  the 
•itemiBia  is  partially  displaced  on  the  hill 
■kkw  by  grass ;  and  descending  it  —  miles, 


about  sunHcl  wo  reached  the  RivUn  mit 

Malhnirs  (the  unfortunate  or  unlucky  river) 
a  considerable  stream,  with  an  average 
breadth  of  50  feet,  and,  at  litis  time,  18  inchei 
depth  of  water. 

The  bottom  lands  were  generally  one  %xA 
a  half  mile  broad,  covered  principally  with 
long  dry  grans ;  and  we  had  difficulty  to  floil 
suincient  good  grass  for  the  camp.  Witb 
the  exception  of  a  bad  place  of  a  few  hundred 
yards  long,  which  occurred  in  rounding  t 
point  of  hill  to  reach  the  ford  of  the  river, 
the  road  during  the  day  had  been  very  good 

October  12. — The  morning  was  clear  and 
calm,  and  the  thermometer  at  sunrise  23*, 
My  attention  was  attracted  by  a  smoke  on  the 
rin-ht  side  of  the  river,  a  little  bnlow  the  ford, 
where  I  found  on  the  low  bank,  near  thewt- 
ter,  a  considerable  number  of  hot  springs, in 
which  the  temperature  of  the  water  was  193*, 
The  ground,  which  was  too  hot  for  the  naked 
foot,  was  covered  above  and  below  the  ppringi 
witli  an  incrustation  of  coinmon  fialt,  very 
white  and  good,  an<l  fine-grained. 

Leading  for  6  miles  up  a  broad  dry  branch 
of  the  Mallicnra  river,  the  road  entered  i 
sandy  hollow,  where  the  surface  was  ren. 
dercd  firm  by  the  admixture  of  other  rocit 
being  good  and  level  until  arriving  near  thi 
head  of  the  ravine,  where  it  became  a  little 
rocky,  and  wo  nirt  with  a  number  of  sharp 
ascents  over  an  iinlnlating  surface.  Cross-  pirtof  the 
injr  Here  a  dividinjr  ridge,  it  became  an  et  oountainou 
eel  lent  road  of  gradual  descent  down  a  veiy 
in'.irked  hollow;  in  which,  after  10  jniles,! 
willows  began  to  appear  in  the  dry  bed  of 
Iiond  of  the  Riviere  mix  Bnuleaux  (Bird 
river) ;  and  descending  7  miles,  we  fou 
at  its  junction  with  another  branch,  a  litl 
water,  not  very  good  or  abundant,  but  su: 
cient  in  case  of  necessity  for  a  camp.  Cn 
ing  Birch  river,  we  continued  for  about 
miles  across  a  point  of  hill ;  the  country 
the  left  being  entirely  mountainous,  with 
level  spot  to  be  seen  ;  whence  we  desceiK 
to  Snake  river — here  a  fine-looking  strei 
with  a  large  body  of  water  and  a  smi 
current ;  although  we  hear  the  roar,  and 
below  us  the  commencement  of  rapids  whi 
it  enters  among  the  hills.  It  forms  here 
deep  bay,  with  a  low  sand  island  in 
midst ;  and  its  course  among  the  mouni 
is  agreeably  exchanged  for  the  black 
canic  rock.  The  weather  during  tlie 
had  been  very  bright  and  extremely  hotj 
but,  as  usual,  so  soon  as  the  sun  went  do< 
it  was  necessary  to  put  on  overcoats. 

I  obtained  this  evening  an  observation 
an  emersion  of  the  first  satellite,  and  our 
servations  of  the  evening  place  this  encamj 
ment  in  latitude  44°  17'  36",  and  longiti 
116°  66'  46",  which  is  the  mean  of  the 
suits  from  the  satellite  and  chrononu 


(1841. 

the  Riviin  att 
or  unlucky  river), 
vith  an  avertge 
lin  time,  ISinchei 

cenerally  one  an4 
r  principally  with 
id  difficulty  to  fiod 
the  camp.  Witii 
0  of  a  few  hundred 
ed  in  rounding  i 
( ford  of  the  river, 
id  been  very  good. 
ing  was  clear  and 
er  at  sunrise  '23*. 
[|  by  asmoke  on  lh« 
ttle  bolow  thn  ford, 
bank,  near  thew«. 
r  of  hot  springs,  in 
the  water  was  igj*. 
)o  hot  for  the  naked 
d  liplow  the  ppringi 
coininon  ^alt,  verj 
grained. 

a  broad  dry  branch 
the  road  entered  i 
3  surface  was  ten- 
ure of  otlicr  rock 
11  nrrivinpr  ncarti» 
re  it  became  a  little 
a  number  of  .sharj 
tig  siirfaco.     Cross- 
c,  it  became  an  ei- 
leflcent  down  a  vety] 
icli,  after  10  miles, 
in  the  dry  bed  of  i 
<x  Bmileaux  (Bin' 
7  miles,  we  foui 
ither  branch,  a  lill 
abundant,  but  su 
'  for  a  camp.     Cr 
)ntinued  for  about 
hill ;  the  country 
tountainous,  with 
ifhencc  we  descem 
fine-looking  stre 
water  and  a  em 
lear  the  roar,  and 
ment  of  rapids  wh( 
Is.    It  forms  here 
'  sand  island  in 
iinong  the  moun 
d  for  the  black 
ither  during  tlie    . 
and  extremely  hoti 
LS  the  sun  went  do 
;  on  overcoats, 
ing  an  observation 
t  satellite,  and  our  ( 
ng  place  this  encam| 
r  36",  and  longitr 
B  the  mean  of  the 
ite  and  chronomi 


INS.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


The  elevfttion  above  the  noa  1,880  feet.  At 
^ii  encampment,  the  grass  Ih  scanty  and 
poor. 

October  13. — The  morning  wan  bricht, 
«ith  the  temperuturo  at  sunrise  28^.  The 
^nes  had  strayi'd  uiT  during  the  niglit,  pro- 
bably in  Hearcli  of  grasii ;  and,  after  a  con- 
liderablo  delay,  wu  Imd  Huccuoded  in  finding 
ill  but  two,  when,  about  !)  o'clock,  we  heard 
the  sound  of  an  Iiidiaii  Hoiig  and  drum  ap- 
proaching ;  and  hliorliy  uftcr,  three  Cayuse 
Indiana  appeared  in  Hi^ht,  bringing  with 
them  the  two  aniinulu.  Tiioy  belonged  to  a 
party  which  had  been  on  a  bufiklu  hunt  in 
the  neighborhcHul  of  tliu  llocky  n>ot<ntains, 
ind  were  hurrying  lioiiic  in  advuiice.  Wo 
preecnted  them  witli  some  tobacco,  and  other 
things,  with  which  they  appeared  well  satis- 
fied, and.  ^r'.;,\  >aiing  their  pece,  travelled  in 
company  with  us. 

We  were  now  about  to  leave  the  valley  of 
the  great  southern  branch  of  the  Columbia 
river,  to  whicii  the  absence  of  timber,  and 
the  scarcity  of  water,  give  the  appearance  of 
desert,  to  enter  a  mountainous   region 
where  the  soil  is  good,  and  in  which  the  face 
of  the  country  is  covered  with  nutritious 
psses  and  dense  forest — land  embracing 
Biuiy  varieties  of  trees  peculiar  to  the  coun- 
try, and  on  which  the  timber  exhibits  a  lux- 
griance  of  growth  unknown  to  the  eastern 
part  of  the  continent  and  to  Europe.     This 
lountainous  region  connects  itself  in  the 
uthward  and  westward  with  the  elevated 
DDtry  belonging  to  the  Cascade  or  Califor- 
i  range ;   and,  as  will  bo  remarked  in  the 
urse  of  the  narrative,  forms  the  eastern 
it  of  the  fertile  and  timbered  lands  along 
le  desert  and  mountainous  region  included 
ithin  the  Great  Basin — a  term  which  I  ap- 
to  the  intermediate  region  between  the 
ky  mountains  and  the  next  range,  con- 
ining  many  lakes,  with  their  own  system 
rivers  and  creeks  (of  which  the  Great 
It  ia  the  principal),  and  which  have  no 
nection  with  the  ocean,  or  the  great 
rers  which  flow  into  it.    Tliis  Great  Basin 
yet  to  be  adequately  explored.    And  here, 
quitting  the  banks  of  a  sterile  river,  to 
iter  on  arable  mountains,  the  remark  may 
made,  that,  on  this  western  slope  of  our 
intinent,  the  usual  order  or  distribution  of 
and  bad  soil  is  often  reversed;   the 
iver  and  creek  bottoms  being  often  sterile, 
id  darkened  with  the  gloomy  and  barren 
imisia ;   while  the  mountain  is  often  fer- 
le,  and  covered  with  rich  gra.ss,  pleasant  to 
eye,  and  good  for  flocks  and  herds. 
Leaving  entirely  the  Snake  river,  which 
said    nenceforth    to  pursue  its  course 
rough  cafions,  amidst  rocky  and  impracti- 
Me  mountains,  where  there  is  no  poseibili- 
of  travelling  with  animals,  we  ascended  a 
and  somewhat  steep  hill ;  and  crossing 


the  dividing  ridge,  came  down  into  the  vaU 
ley  of  Iturnt  river,  which  here  looks  like  a 
hole  amung  the  hills.  The  average  breadth 
of  the  stream  here  is  30  feet ;  it  is  well 
fringed  with  the  usual  small  timber ;  and  the 
soil  ill  the  buttoiim  in  good,  with  bettor  grass 
than  we  had  lately  l)een  accuHtomt'd  to  nee. 

Wo  now  travelled  through  a  very  moun- 
taiiKiuj  country ;  ihr  'ii -earn  running  rather 
in  a  ravine  than  a  valley,  and  the  road  is  de- 
cidedly bad  and  dangerous  for  single  wa- 
gons, frequently  croHsing  the  stream  where 
the  water  is  sometimes  deep;  and  all  the 
day  tlio  animals  were  fatigued  in  climbing 
up  and  (iesconding  a  succession  of  steep  as- 
cents, to  avoid  the  precipitous  hill  sides; 
and  tii(.>  common  trail,  which  leads  along  the 
mountain  side  at  places  where  the  river 
strikes  the  hnno.  ;,  ^umctimes  bad  even  for 
a  liorMcuiaii.  The  mountains  along  thia 
day's  journey  were  composed,  near  the  river, 
of  a  slaty  calcareous  rock  in  a  metamorphic 
condition.  It  appears  originally  to  have 
been  a  nliity  sedimentary  limestone,  but  its 
prf'pout  condition  indicates  that  it  has  been 
altered,  and  has  become  partially  crystalline 
— probably  from  the  proximity  of  volcanic 
rocks.  But  though  travelling  was  slow  and 
fatiguing  to  the  animals,  we  were  delighted 
with  the  appearance  of  the  country,  which 
was  green  and  refreshing  after  our  tedious 
journey  down  the  parched  valley  of  Snake 
river.  The  mountains  were  covered  with 
good  bunch  grass  (festuca) ;  the  water  of 
the  streams  was  cold  and  pure  ;  their  bot- 
toms were  handsomely  wooued  with  various 
kinds  of  trees ;  and  huge  and  loily  and  pic* 
turesque  precipices  were  displayed  where 
the  river  cut  through  the  mountams. 

We  found  in  the  evening  some  good  grass 
and  rushes ;  and  encamped  among  Targe 
timber,  principally  birch,  which  had  been  re- 
cently burnt  and  blackened,  and  almost  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  The  nieht  was  calm  and 
tolerably  clear,  with  the  thermometer  at  sun- 
set at  69°.  Our  journey  to-day  was  about 
20  miles. 

October  14. — The  day  was  clear  and  calm, 
with  a  temperature  at  sunrise  of  46".  After 
travelling  about  three  miles  up  the  valley, 
we  found  the  river  shut  up  by  precipices  m 
a  kind  of  cafion,  and  the  road  makes  a  cir- 
cuit over  the  mountains.  In  the  afternoon 
we  reached  the  river  again,  by  another  little 
ravine ;  and,  after  travelluig  along  it  for  a 
few  miles,  left  it  enclosed  among  rude  moun- 
tains ;  and,  ascending  a  smaller  branch,  en- 
camped on  it  about  5  o'clock,  very  much 
elevated  above  the  valley.  The  view  was 
everywhere  limited  by  mountains,  on  which 
were  no  longer  seen  the  black  and  barren 
rocks,  but  a  fertile  soil,  with  excellent  erass, 
and  partly  well  covered  with  pine.  rha?e 
never  seen  a  wagon  road  equally  bad  in  th* 


Ill 


HA 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[W 


Milne  Bpaee,  as  this  of  yesterday  and  to-day. 
I  noticed  where  one  wagon  had  been  over- 
turned twice,  in  a  very  short  distance ;  and 
it  was  surprising  to  mc  that  those  wagons 
which  were  in  tne  rear,  and  could  not  have 
had  much  assistance,  got  through  at  all. 
Btil),  there  is  no  mud  ;  and  the  road  has  one 
advantage,  in  being  perfectly  firm.  The 
day  had  been  warm  and  very  pleasant,  and 
the  night  was  perfectly  clear. 

October  16. — The  thermometer  at  daylight 
was  42°,  and  at  sunrise  40° ;  clouds,  which 
were  scattered  over  all  the  sky,  disappeared 
with  the  rising  sun.  The  trail  did  not  much 
improve  until  we  had  crossed  the  dividing 
fffound  between  the  Bruli  (Burnt)  and  Pow- 
der rivers.  The  rock  displayed  on  the  moun- 
tains, as  we  approached  the  summit,  was  a 
compact  trap,  decomposing  on  the  exposed 
surfaces,  and  apparently  an  altered  argillace- 
ous sandstone,  containing  small  crystalline 
nodules  of  anolcime,  apparently  filling  cavi- 
ties originally  existing.  From  the  summit 
here,  the  whole  horizon  shows  high  moun- 
tains ;  no  high  plain  or  level  is  to  be  seen  ; 
and  on  the  left,  from  south  around  by  the 
west  to  north,  the  mountains  are  black  with 
pines ;  while,  through  the  remaining  space 
to  the  eastward,  they  are  bald  with  the  ex- 
ception of  some  scattered  pines.  You  will 
remark  that  we  are  now  entering  a  region 
where  all  the  elevated  parta  are  covered  with 
dense  and  heavy  forests.  Froni  the  dividing 
grounds  we  descended  by  a  mountain  road 
to  Powder  river,  on  an  old  bed  of  which  we 
encamped.  Descending  from  the  summit, 
we  enjoyed  a  picturesque  view  of  high  rocky 
mountains  on  the  right,  illuminated  by  the 
setting  sun. 

From  the  heights  we  had  looked  in  vain 
for  a  well-known  landmark  on  Powder  river, 
which  had  been  described  to  me  by  Mr. 
Payette  as  Varbre  seul  (the  lone  tree)  ;  and, 
<m  arriving  at  the  river,  we  found  a  fine  tall 

Sine  stretched  on  the  ground,  which  had 
een  felled  by  some  inconsiderate  emigrant 
axe.  It  had  been  a  beacon  on  the  road  for 
many  years  past.  Our  Cayuses  had  become 
impatient  to  reach  their  homes,  and  travelled 
on  ahead  to-day  ;  and  this  afternoon  we  were 
Tisited  by  several  Indians,  who  belonged  to 
the  tribes  on  the  Cr.iumbia.  They  were  on 
horseback,  and  were  out  on  a  hunting  ex- 
cursion, but  had  obtained  no  better  game 
than  a  large  grey  hare,  of  which  each  had 
some  six  or  seven  hanging  to  his  saddle. 
We  were  also  visited  by  an  Indian  who  had 
his  lodge  and  family  in  the  mountain  to  the 
left.  He  was  in  want  of  ammunition,  and 
brought  with  him  a  beaver  skin  to  exchange, 
and  which  he  valued  at  six  charges  of  pow- 
der and  ball.  I  learned  from  him  that  there 
are  very  few  of  these  animals  remaining  in 
tiiis  part  of  the  country. 


The  temperature  at  sunset  was  6I«, 
the  evening  clear.    I  obtained,  with 
observations,  an  immersion  and  emersion  i 
the  third  satellite.    Elevation  3,100  feet. 

October    16. — For    several    weeks 
weather  in  the  daytime  has  been  very  beat] 
tiful,  clear,  and  warm ;   but  the  nights,  j^ 
comps  risen,  are  very  cold.     During  the  nigi 
there  was  ice  a  quarter  of  an  incn  thick  i 
the  lodge ;  and  at  daylight  the  thermotiieti 
was  at  16^,  and  the  same  at  sunrise; 
weather  being  calm  and  clear.    The  annnij 
vegetation  now  is  nearly  gone,  almost 
the  plants  being  out  of  bloom. 

lAst  n'^ut  two  of  our  horses  had  run  ( 
agam,  which  delayed  us  until  noon ;  andi 
made  to-day  but  a  short  journey  of  13  milei 
the  road  being  very  good,  and  encamped  i 
a  fine  bottom  of  Powder  river. 

The  thermometer  at  sunset  was  at  61*1 
with  an  easterly  wind,  and  partially  clei 
sky ;   and  the  day  has  been  quite  pleaa 
and  warm,  thougli  more  cloudy  than  yestt 
day ;   and  the  sun  was  frequently  faint, 
it  grew  finer  and  clearer  towards  evening, 

October  17. — Thermometer  at  sunrise  26'J 
The  weather  at  daylight  was  fine,  and  I 
sky  without  a  cloud  ;  but  these  came  np,  i 
were  formed  with  the  sun,  and  at  7  wei 
thick  over  all  the  sky.  Just  now,  this  apj 
pears  to  be  the  regular  course — clear  i 
brilliant  during  the  night,  and  cloudy  duriii| 
the  day.  There  is  snow  yet  visible  in  I 
neighboring  mountains,  which  yesterday  eiJ 
tended  along  our  route  to  the  left,  in  a  lol^ 
and  dark-blue  ranjje,  having  much  the  i 
pearance  of  the  Wind  river  mountains, 
is  probable  that  they  have  received  thei 
name  of  the  Blue  mountains  from  the  daii 
blue  appearance  given  to  them  by  the  pin 
We  travelled  this  morning  across  the  aS 
ents  to  Powder  river,  the  road  being 
firm,  and  level;  and  the  country  bee 
constantly  more  pleasant  and  interestini 
The  soil  appearea  to  be  very  deep,  and^ 
black  and  extremely  good,  as  well  ama 
the  hollows  of  the  hills  on  the  elevated  " 
as  on  the  river  bottoms ;  the  vegetation  beii 
such  as  is  usually  found  in  good  groai 
The  following  analytical  result  shows 
precise  qualities  of  this  soil,  and  will  jutf 
to  science  the  character  of  fertility  whichtl 
eye  attributes  to  ii . 

Analysis  of  Powder  river  soQ. 

Silica 72,! 

Alumina 

Carbonate  of  lime 6.8 

Carbonate  of  magnesia      ....  4i 

Oxide  of  iron        1.! 

Organic  matter 4'1 

Water  and  loss 4.S 


>.J 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


nset  was  61"  .-J  tma  the  waters  of  this  stream,  the  road 
tained  with  'pjhj^nded  by  a  good  and  moderate  ascent  to 
mandemersionoli'''^"^"*  ''•'«®'  ''?*  immediately  entered 
tion  3,100  feet.  |Don  ground  covered  with  fragments  uf  an 
^eral  weeks  ♦'-Birred  siliceous  slate,  which  are  in  many 
IS  been  very  benilll^^  ^"S^t  ^^^  render  the  road  racking  to 
but  the  niehts  Acarriage.    In  this  rock  the  planes  of  depo- 

During  the  niglflitioD  are  distinctly  preserved,  and  the  meta- 
f  an  incn  thick  jBOfph'sm  is  evidently  due  to  the  proximity 
it  the  thermotiictty  '°lc*°'c  rocks.  On  either  side,  t!.e  moun- 
le  at  sunrise  ■  j^B*'"'  here  are  densely  covered  with  tall  and 
;lear.  The  ftiini»iB»ndsome  trees ;  and,  mingled  with  the 
y  gone,  almost  »Mpn  of  »  variety  of  pines,  is  the  yellow  of 
nom.  ^V°  European  larch   (pinus  larix),   which 

horses  had  run  oS*^  '^  leaves  in  the  fall.  From  its  present 
until  noon  *  nndiT^'"'!  ^^  were  enabled  to  see  that  it  forms  a 
ourney  of  13  miuBMgs  proportion  of  the  forests  on  the  moun- 

and  nncamped^BiiM,  and  is  here  a  magnificent  tree,  attain- 

pjygf  "Wu  sometimes  the  height  of  200  feet,  which 

iunset  was  at  6i*B^l'eve  is  elsewhere  unknown.     About  two 

and  partially  cletV^^  afternoon  we  reached  a  high  point  of 

)een  quite  pleamV'  dividing  ridge,  from  which  we  obtained 

cloudy  than  yestRVS''''^  *'^^  ^^  ^^^  Grand  Rond — a  beauti- 

■equently  faint,  ^Ru  level  basin,  or  mountain  valley,  covered 

towards  evening/Bri'l'  %°^  g'*88,  on  a  rich  soil,  abundantly 

neter  at  sunrise  26»»»'ered,  and  surrounded  by  high  and  well- 

t  was  fine   and  tjABbered  mountains  ;   and  its  name  descrip- 

It  these  came  np.iB'e  of  >'«  form— tlie  great  circle.     It  is  a 

sun    and  at  7  weiB"'^ — °°®  °f  ^'"^  ^"  ^^  ^^'^  \i9.\e  seen  in  our 

Just  now    this  aiB""'"^y  ^°  ^^^ — where  a  farmer  would  de- 

■  course ^clear  nK''^  ^  establish  himself,  if  he  were  content 

t  and  cloudy  darinS  "^^  ''^  ^^^  seclusion  which  it  imposes.  It 
w  yet  visible  intB'^''out  20  miles  in  diameter;  and  miiy,  in 
which  yesterday  aH"®'  f<"™  *  superb  county.  Probably  with 
to  the  left,  in  a  lolV  "'.ew  of  avoidinjr  a  circuit,  the  wagons 
Eiving  much  the  afl"'  directly  descended  into  the  Rond  by  the 
river  mountains.  Iv^  ot  a  hill  so  very  rocky  and  continuously 
have  received  tbS^P  ^^  ^°  ^^  apparently  impracticable ; 
tains  from  the  daitw')  following  down  on  their  trail,  we  en- 

0  them  by  the  piuBmPgd  on  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Grand 
intr  across  the  a^V"*'  river,  immediately  at  the  foot  of  the 
lie  road  being  gow"-  '  '^^^  remarked,  in  descending,  some 
the  country  becaMfJ  white  spots  glistening  on  the  plain,  and, 
int  and  interestiM"'g  out  in  that  direction  after  we  had  en- 
re  very  deep,  andfl''P^<'>  '  found  them  to  be  the  bed  of  a  dry 
K>d  as  well  amoB^  '^^^>  or  marsh,  very  firm  and  bare, 
on  the  elevated  bhB'i'^h  was  covered  thickly  with  a  fine  white 
the  vegetation  beM*''er.  containing  a  large  quantity  of  car- 
nd  in  good  groniV''^^  of  soda  (thirty-three  in  one  hundred 

al  result  shows  Wj^-   ,.  ,    ,  ^        ,     ,    ,  ^ 

1  soil  and  will  justiA"'^  old  grass  had  been  lately  burnt  oflT 
of  fertility  whichfiV""  ^he  surrounding  hills,  and,  wherever  the 

^■^  had  passed,  there  was  a  recent  growth 

strong,  green,  and  vigorous  grass;  and 

oder  river  soU.        »  soil  of  the  level  prairie,  which  sweeps 

79,j^ctly  up  to  the  foot  of  the  surrounding 

luntains,  appears  to  be  very  rich,  produc- 

6.W  ^^^  spontaneously  and    luxuriantly  in 

4,^rious  places. 

1,  _ 

4-llf    Analysis  of  the  Grand  Rond  soil. 

41 


uica 
lumioa 


70.81 
10.97 


Lime  and  magnesia  Lit 

Oxide  of  iron      ....  3.S1 

Vegetable  matter,  partly  dscompoaed  8.16 

Water  and  loss    ....  6.46 

Phosphate  of  lime  .        .  1.01 


100.00 


The  elevation  of  this  encampment  is 
2,940  feet  above  the  sea. 

October  18. — It  began  to  rain  an  hour  b» 
fore  sunrise,  and  continued  until  10  o'clock; 
the  sky  entirely  overcast,  and  the  tempera- 
ture at  sunrise  48o. 

We  resumed  our  journey  somewhat  later 
than  usual,  travelling  in  a  nearly  north  di- 
rection across  this  beautiful  valley;  and 
about  noon  reached  a  place  on  one  of  the 
principal  streams,  where  I  had  determined  to 
leave  the  emigrant  trail,  in  the  expectation 
of  finding  a  more  direct  and  better  road 
across  the  Blue  mountains.  At  this  place 
the  emigrants  appeared  to  have  held  some 
consultation  as  to  their  further  route,  and 
finally  turned  directly  oiF  to  the  left;  reach- 
ing the  foot  of  the  mountain  in  about  three 
miles,  which  they  ascended  by  a  hill  as  steep 
and  difficult  as  that  by  which  we  had  yester- 
day descended  to  tiie  Rond.  Quitting,  there- 
fore, this  road,  which,  after  a  very  rough 
crossing,  issues  from  the  mountains  by  the 
heads  of  the  Umalilah  river,  we  continued 
our  northern  course  across  the  valley,  fol- 
lowing an  Indian  trail  which  had  been  indi- 
cated to  me  by  Mr.  Payette,  an'!  encamped 
at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  Grand  Rond, 
on  a  slough-like  stream  of  very  deep  water, 
without  any  apparent  current.  There  are 
some  pines  here  on  the  low  hills  at  the  creek ; 
and  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Rond  is  a 
very  heavy  body  of  timber,  which  descends 
into  the  plain.  The  clouds,  which  had  rested 
very  low  along  the  mountain  sides  during 
the  day,  rose  gradually  up  in  the  afternoon; 
and  in  the  evening  the  sky  was  almost  en- 
tirely clear,  with  a  temperature  at  sunset  of 
47".  Some  indifferent  observations  placed 
the  camp  in  longitude  117"  38'  26",  latitude 
46^  26'  47" ;  and  the  elevation  was  2,600 
feet  above  the  sea. 

October  19. — This  morning  the  mountaina 
were  hidden  by  fog;  there  was  a  heavy  dew 
during  the  night,  in  which  the  exposed  ther- 
mometer at  daylight  stood  at  32",  and  at  sun- 
rise the  temperature  was  35°. 

We  passed  out  of  the  Grand  Rond  by  a 
fine  road  along  the  creek,  which,  for  a  short 
distance,  runs  in  a  kind  of  rocky  chasm. 
Cros.sing  a  low  point,  which  was  a  little 
rocky,  the  trail  conducted  into  the  open  val- 
ley of  the  stream— a  handsome  place  for 
farms  ;  the  soil,  even  of  the  hills,  being  rich 
and  black.      Passing  through  a  point  of 


106 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1S4I. 


fAoM,  which  bore  evidences  of  bein?  much 
requented  by  the  Indians,  and  in  which  the 
trees  were  sometimes  apparently  200  feet 
high  and  3  to  7  feet  in  diameter,  we  halted 
for  a  few  minutes  in  the  afternoon  at  the  foot 
of  the  niue  mountains,  on  a  branch  of  the 
Grand  Rond  river,  at  an  elevation  of  2,700 
feet.  Resuming  our  journey,  we  commenced 
the  ascent  of  the  mountain  through  an  open 
pine  forest  of  large  and  stately  trees,  among 
which  the  balsam  pine  made  its  appearance ; 
the  road  being  g(K)d,  with  the  exception  of 
one  steep  ascent,  with  a  corresponding  de- 
scent, which  might  both  have  been  easily 
avoided  by  opening  a  way  for  a  short  dis- 
tance through  the  timber.  It  would  have 
been  well  had  we  encamped  on  the  stream 
where  we  had  halted  below,  as  the  night 
overtook  us  on  the  mountain,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  encamp  without  water,  and  tie  up 
the  animals  to  the  trees  for  the  night.  We 
had  halted  on  a  smooth  open  place  of  a  nar- 
row ridge,  which  descended  very  rapidly  to 
a  ravine  or  piney  hollow,  at  a  considerable 
distance  below;  and  it  was  quite  a  pretty 
spot,  had  there  been  water  near.  But  the 
fires  at  night  look  very  cheerless  after  a  day's 
march,  when  there  is  no  preparation  for  sup- 
per going  on ;  and,  after  sitting  some  time 
around  the  blazing  logs,  Mr.  Preuss  and 
Carson,  with  several  others,  volunteered  to 
take  the  India  rubber  buckets  and  go  down 
into  the  ravine  in  search  of  water.  It  was 
a  very  difficult  way  in  the  darkness  down  the 
slippery  side  of  the  steep  mountain,  and 
harder  still  to  climb  about  half  a  mile  up 
again ;  but  they  found  the  water,  and  the  cup 
ot  coffee  (which  it  enabled  us  to  make)  and 
bread  were  only  enjoyed  with  greater  pleas- 
ure. 

At  sunset  the  temperature  was  46° ;  the 
evening  remarkably  clear ;  and  I  obtained  an 
emersion  of  the  first  satellite,  which  does  not 
give  a  good  result,  although  the  observation 
was  a  very  good  one.  The  chronometric 
longitude  was  in"  28'  34'',  latitude  46°  38' 
07",  and  we  had  ascended  to  an  elevation  of 
3,830  feet.  It  appeared  to  have  snowed  yes- 
terday on  the  mountains,  their  summits 
showing  very  white  to-day. 

October  20. — There  was  a  heavy  white 
frost  during  the  night,  and  at  sunrise  the 
temperature  was  37°. 

The  animals  had  eaten  nothing  during  the 
night;  and  we  made  an  early  start,  continu- 
ing our  route  among  the  pines,  which  were 
more  dense  th  ->.  yesterday,  and  still  retained 
their  magnificent  size.  The  larches  cluster 
together  in  masses  on  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  their  yellow  foliage  contrasts  hand- 
somely with  the  green  of  the  balsam  and 
other  pines.  After  a  few  miles  we  ceased 
to  see  any  pines,  and  the  timber  consisted  cf 
aereral  varieties  of  epruce,  larch,  and  balsam 


IMS.] 


tbermomei 
ifewhou 
Ant,  and  < 
delightful 
"nietra 
thick  your 
catting  to 
few  miles, 
iDd  we  rea 
»very  exti 
were  here 
nountains, 
eipitous  on 
^e  valley, 
ing  betwe 
mountain  ] 
est;  and  t( 
gg,  was  th< 


pine,  which  have  a  regularly  conical  figm^. 
These  trees  appeared  from  60  to  nearly  sqq 
feet  in  height;  the-^usual  circumference  be. 
ing  10  to  12  feet,  and  in  the  pines  sometimet 
21  feet.  In  open  places  near  the  summit, 
these  trees  became  less  high  and  more 
branching,  the  conical  form  having  a  greater 
base.  The  instrument  carriage  occasioned 
much  delay,  it  being  frequently  necessary  to 
fell  trees  and  remove  the  fallen  timber.  Tjig 
trail  we  were  following  led  up  a  long  spnr 
with  a  very  gradual  and  gentle  rise. 

At  the  end  of  three  miles,  we  halted  atai 
open  place  near  the  summit,  from  which  «e 
enjoyed  a  fine  view  over  the  mountainont 
country  where  we  had  lately  travelled,  to 
take  a  barometrical  observation  at  the  heiolit 
of  4,460  feet. 

After  travelling  occasionally  through  opes 
places  in  the  forest,  we  were  obliged  to  cat 
a  way  through  a  dense  body  of  timber,  ihni 
which  we  emerged  on  an  open  mountain 
side,  where  we  found  a  number  of  small 
springs,  and  encamped  after  a  day's  joumej 
of  10  miles.  Our  elevation  here  was  5,OO0 
feet. 

October  21. — ^There  was  a  very  heayy 
white  frost  during  the  night,  and  the  ther 
mometer  at  sunrise  was  30". 

We  continued  to  travel  through  the  forest, 
in  which  the  road  was  rendered  difficult  h 
fallen  trunks,  and  obstructed  by  many  smaU 
trees,  which  it  wf.s  necessary  to  cut  dowa, 
But  these  are  only  accidental  'iifficultiei, 
which  could  easily  be  removed,  and  a  reiy 
excellent  road  may  be  had  through  this  past, 
with  no  other  tlian  very  moderate  ascents  or 
declivities.    A  laborious  day,  which  had  ad^ 
vanced  us  only  six  miles  on  our  road,  brough 
us  in  the  afternoon  to  an  opening  in  the   original  co 
forest,  in  which  there  was  a  fine  mountaii   ftom  this  p 
meadow,  with  good  grass,  and  a  large  cle»   tiiere  seem 
water  stream — one  of  the  head  branches  rf   »or  specin 
the  Umatilah  river.    During  this  day's  jow    ilienn  to  be 
ney,  the  barometer  was  broken ;  and  the  els    tactions  a 
vations  above  the  sea,  hereafter  given,  depen    'hole  inte 
upon  the  temperature  of  boiling  water.  Soiw     The  roa 
of  the  white  spruces  which  I  measured  to    round  het 
day  were  twelve  feet  in  circumference,  aa    leeping  m 
one  of  the  larches  ten ;  but  eight  feet  wastli    ilternately 
average  circumference  of  those  measure    "peo   P™i 
along  the  road.     I  held  in  my  hand  a  tapi    neadow, 
line  as  1  walked  along,  in  order  to  form  boim      At  sunsi 
correct  idea  of  the  size  of  the  timber.   Tiiei    lie  night 
height  appeared  to  be  from  100  to  180,  as    ^as  only  t 
perhaps   200  feet,  and  the  trunks  of  th    »vine,  int 
larches  were  sometimes  100  feet  without     ^^  much 
limb ;  but  the  white  spruces  were  generall|  powth  of 
covered  with  branches  nearly  to  the  rool  W  ahead. 
All  these  trees  have  their  branches,  partiet  Mening. 
larly  the  lower  ones,  declining.  '''^>  *"". 

October  22.— The  white  frost  this  niornia  Jofeet  in 
was  like  snow  on  the  ground ;  the  ice  was  ''*"  of  th 
quarter  of  an  inch  thick  on  the  creek,  and  th  "wng  th( 


prairie,  m 
cated  the  c 
liderable  si 
way  acrose 
to  be  the  d 
the  Walah 
tloDg  Its  b 
ftere  suppc 
settlements 
uniavorabk 
rock  displa 
compact  ai 
constitute  t 
this  latitudi 
through  wl 
ing  the  Sn 
violent  and 
the  Burnt 
ly  sediment 
of  volcanic 
lave  peneti 


nm 


ly  conical  figun. 

60  to  nearly  sJoo 
circumference  be* 
e  pines  sometimei 
near  the  summit, 

liigh   and  more 

liaving  a  greater 
Triage  occasioned 
ently  necessary  to 
Hen  timber.  The 
id  up  a  long  spar, 
entle  rise. 
8,  we  halted  atai 
lit,  from  which  we 

the  mountainoot 
ately  travelled,  to 
ation  at  the  hei^t 

nally  through  open 
rere  obliged  to  cnl 
idy  of  timber,  ftou 
m  open  mountain 

number  of 
ter  a  day's  joumej 
on  here  was  5,000 

vtLB  a  very  hetTj 
ight,  and  the  the^ 
JO". 

through  the  forert, 
endered  difficult  bf 
;ted  by  many  smai 
Bssary  to  cut  down, 
cidental  iifficultiet, 
(moved,  and  a  veiy 
id  through  this  paai, 
moderate  ascents  or 

day,  which  had 


1MI.1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


i(yi 


thermometer  at  sunrise  was  at  20*.  But,  in 
ifew  hours,  the  day  became  warm  and  plea- 
nnt,  and  our  road  over  the  mountains  was 
jeiightful  and  full  of  enjoj^ment. 

'nie  trail  passed  sometimes  th  <ugh  very 
thick  young  timber  in  which  t!  e       as  much 
cutting  to  be  done  ;  but,  after     ..veiling  a 
^w  miles,  the  mountains  becajic  more  ba'd, 
uid  we  reached  a  point  from  which  there  was 
1  very  extensive  view  in  the  northwest.  We 
vere  here  on  the  western  verge  of  the  Blue 
mountains,  long  spurs  of  which,  very  pre- 
cipitous on  either  side,  extended  down  into 
the  valley,  the  waters  of  the  mountain  roar- 
ing between  them.     On  our  right  was  a 
mountain  plateau,  covered  with  a  dense  for- 
est; and  to  the  westward,  immediately  below 
US,  was  the  great  Nez  Perc6  (pierced  nose) 
prairie,  in  which  dark  lines  of  timber  indi- 
cated the  course  of  many  affluents  to  a  con- 
liderable  stream  that  was  seen  pursuing  its 
way  across  the  plain  towards  what  appeared 
to  be  the  Columbia  river.    This  I  knew  to  be 
the  Walahwalah  river,  and  occasional  spots 
tlong  its  banks,  which  resembled  clearings, 
were  supposed  to  be  the  mission  or  Indian 
settlements ;  but  the  weather  was  smoky  and 
unfiivorablo  to  far  views  with  the  glass.   The 
rock  displayed  here  in  the  escarpments  is  a 
compact  amorphous  trap,  whicli  appears  to 
constitute  the  mass  of  the  Blue  mountains  in 
this  latitude  ;  and  all  the  region  of  country 
through  which  we  have  travelled  since  leav- 
ing the  Snake  river  has  been  the  seat  of 
violent  and  extensive  igneous  action.  Along 
the  Burnt  river  valley,  the  strata  are  evident- 
ly sedimentary  rocks,  altered  by  the  intrusion 
of  volcanic  products,  which  in  some  instances 
onour  road,  brouglil    li^ve  penetrated  and  essentially  changed  their 
an  opening  in  tht    original  condition.     Along  our  line  of  route 
vas  a  fine  mountaii    ^"i  this  point  to  the  California  mountains, 
s  and  a  large  clev    ^iiere  seems  but  little  essential  change.    All 
■      (    rar  specimens  of  sedimentary  rocks  show 
lem  to  be  much  altered,  and  volcanic  pro- 
lactions  appear  to  prevail  throughout  the 
hole  intervening  distance. 
The  road  now  led  along  the  mountain  side, 
und  heads  of  the  precipitous  ravines ;  and, 
:eeping  men  ahead  to  clear  a  road,  we  passed 
ternately  through  bodies  of  timber  and  small 


le  head  branches  o 
iring  this  day's  joi 
jroken ;  and  the  elej 
reafter  given,  depei 
boiling  water.  Soi 
liich  I  measured 
I  circumference, 
)ut  eight  feet  was 
of  those  measui 
in  my  hand  a  tai 
in  order  to  form  soi 
of  the  timber.   Thei 
rom  100  to  180,  ai 
the  trunks  of 


ppen    prairies,  and  encamped    in   a  large 

adow,  in  view  of  the  great  prairie  below. 

At  sunset  the  thermometer  was  at  40",  and 

e  night  was  very  clear  and  bright.    Water 

as  only  to  be  had  here  by  descending  a  bad 

^ _  ,vine,  into  which  we  drove  our  animals,  and 

3  \'oO  feet  without  i  ""^  much  trouble  with  them,  in  a  very  close 
•uces  were  general]  powth  of  small  pines.  Mr.  Preuss  had  walk- 
nearlv  to  the  rool  ^  ahead,  and  did  not  get  into  the  camp  this 
3ir  branches  partic*  ''ening.  The  trees  here  maintained  their 
clinine        '  ''''''  ^"'^  ^"®  °^  ^^^  black  spruces  measured 

ite  frost  this  niornin  '^  f^et  in  circumference.  In  the  neighbor- 
round  •  the  ice  wa«  '""'^  of  the  camp,  pines  have  reappeared  here 
;  on  the  creek,  and  tl   w»ng  the  timber. 


October  23. — ^The  morninff  was  very  dear ; 
there  had  been  a  heav^  white  frost  during 
the  night,  and  at  sunrise  the  thermometer 
was  at  31". 

After  cutting  through  two  thick  bsdies  of 
timber,  in  which  I  noticed  some  small  trees 
of  hemlock  spruce  (verusse),  the  forest  be- 
came more  open,  and  we  had  no  longer  any 
trouble  to  clear  a  way.  The  pines  here  were 
1 1  or  12  feet  in  circumference,  and  about  110 
feet  high,  and  appeared  to  love  the  open 
grounds.  The  trail  now  led  along  one  of  the 
long  spurs  of  the  mountain,  descending  grad- 
ually towards  the  plain;  and  after  a  few  milea 
travelling,  we  emerged  finally  from  the  for- 
est, in  full  view  of  the  plain  below,  and  saw 
the  snowy  mass  of  Mount  Hood,  standing 
liigh  out  above  the  surrounding  country,  at 
the  distance  of  180  miles.  The  road  along 
the  ridge  was  excellent,  and  the  grass  very 
green  and  geod  ;  the  old  grass  having  been 
burnt  off  early  in  the  autumn.  About  4  o'- 
clock in  the  afternoon  we  reached  a  little 
bottom  on  the  Walahwalah  river,  where  we 
found  lyir.  Preuss,  who  yesterday  had  reach- 
ed this  place,  and  found  himself  too  far  in 
advance  of  the  camp  to  return.  The  stream 
here  has  just  issued  from  the  narrow  ravines, 
which  are  walled  with  precipices,  in  which 
the  rock  has  a  brown  and  more  burnt  ap- 
pearance than  above. 

At  sunset  the  thermometer  was  at  48"  ; 
and  our  position  was  in  longitude  118°  00' 
39",  and  in  latitude  46"  53'  36". 

Tlie  morning  was  clear,  with  a  tempera- 
ture at  sunrise  of  24°.  Crcpincr  the  river, 
we  travelled  over  a  hilly  country  v/ith  good 
bunch  grass  ;  the  river  bottom,  which  gen- 
erally contains  the  best  soil  in  other  coun- 
tries, being  here  a  sterile  level  of  rocks  and 
pebbles.  We  had  found  the  soil  in  the  Blue 
mountains  to  be  of  excellent  quality,  and  it 
appeared  also  to  be  good  here  among  the 
lower  hills.  Reaching  a  little  eminence, 
over  which  the  trail  passed,  we  had  an  ex- 
ten8i"e  view  along  the  course  of  the  river, 
which  was  divided  and  spread  over  its  bot- 
tom in  a  net-work  of  water,  receiving  several 
other  tributaries  from  the  mountains.  There 
was  a  band  of  several  hundred  horses  grazing 
on  the  hills  about  two  miles  ahead  ;  and  as 
we  advanced  on  the  road  we  met  other  bands, 
which  Indians  were  driving  out  to  pasture 
also  on  the  hills.  True  to  its  general  cha- 
racter, the  reverse  of  other  countries,  the 
hills  and  mountains  here  were  rich  in  grass, 
the  bottoms  barren  and  sterile. 

In  six  miles  we  crossed  a  principal  fork, 
below  which  the  scattered  water  of  the  river 
was  gathered  into  one  channel ;  and,  paRRing 
on  the  way  several  unfinished  houses;,  and 
same  cleared  patche.'j,  where  corn  and  pota- 
toes were  cultivated,  we  reached,  in  about 
eight  miles  farther,  the  missionary  establish* 


'4 


108 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841.  I  1841.1 


mont  of  Dr.  Whitman,  which  consisted,  at 
this  time,  of  one  adobe  house — i.e.,  built  of 
anburnt  bricks,  as  in  Mexico. 

I  fonnJ  Dr.  Whitman  absent  on  a  visit  to 
the  Dalles  of  the  Columbia  ;  but  had  the 
pleasure  to  see  a  fine-looking  large  family  of 
emigrants,  men,  women  and  children,  in  ro- 
bust health,  all  indemnifying  themselves  for 
previous  scanty  fare,  in  a  hearty  consump- 
tion of  potatoes,  which  are  produced  here  of 
a  remarkably  good  quality.  We  were  dis- 
appointed in  our  expectation  of  obtaining 
corn  meal  or  flour  at  this  station^  the  mill 
belonging  to  the  mission  having  been  lately 
burnt  down  ;  but  an  abundant  supply  of  ex- 
cellent potatoes  banished  regrets,  and  fur- 
nished a  grateful  substitute  for  bread.  A  small 
town  of  Nez  Perc^  Indians  gave  an  inhabited 
and  even  a  populous  appearance  to  the  station : 
and,  after  remaining  about  an  hour,  we  con- 
tinued our  route,  and  encamped  on  the  river 
about  four  miles  below,  passing  on  the  way 
an  enn'grant  encampment. 

Temperature  at  sunset,  49°. 

October  25. — The  weather  was  plpasant, 
with  a  sunrise  temperature  of  36".  Our 
r<Md  to-day  had  in  it  nothing  of  interest; 
and  the  country  offered  to  the  eye  only  a 
sandy,  undulating  plain,  through  which  a 
scantily  timbered  river  takes  its  course. 
We  halted  about  three  miles  above  the 
mouth,  on  account  of  grass ;  and  the  next 
morning  arrived  at  the  Nez  Perc4  fort,  one 
of  the  trading  establishments  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  a  few  hundred  yards  above 
the  junction  of  the  Walahwalah  with  the 
Columbia  river.  Here  we  had  the  first 
view  of  this  river,  and  found  it  about  1,200 
yards  wide,  and  presenting  the  appearance 
of  a  fine  navigable  stream.  We  made  our 
camp  in  a  little  grove  of  willows  on  the 
Walahwalah,  whicn  are  the  only  trees  to  be 
seen  in  the  neighborhood ;  but  were  obliged 
to  send  the  animals  back  to  the  encampment 
we  had  left,  as  there  was  scarcely  a  blade 
of  grass  to  be  found.  The  post  is  on  the 
'jdmc  of  the  Columbia,  on  a  plain  of  bare 
sands,  from  which  the  air  was  literally  filled 
with  clouds  of  dust  and  sand,  during  one  of 
the  few  days  we  remained  here ;  this  place 
being  one  of  the  several  points  on  the  river 
which  are  distinguished  for  prevailir^  high 
winds,  which  come  from  the  sea.  The  ap- 
pearance of  the  post  and  country  was  with- 
out interest,  except  that  we  here  saw,  for 
the  first  time,  the  great  river  on  whicfi  the 
course  of  events  for  the  last  half  century 
has  been  directing  attention  and  conferring 
historical  fame.  The  river  is,  indeed,  a 
noble  object,  and  has  here  attained  its  full 
magnitude.  About  nine  miles  above,  and  in 
sight  from  the  heights  about  the  post,  is  the 
junction  of  the  two  great  forks  which  con- 
stitute the  main  stream — that  on  which  we 


had  been  travelling  from  Fort  Hall,  and 
known  by  the  names  of  Lewis's  fork,  Sho^ 
shonee,  and  Snake  river ;  and  the  North  fork, 
which  has  retained  the  name  of  Columbia, 
as  being  the  main  stream. 

We  did  not  go  up  to  the  junction,  being 
pressed  for  time  ;  but  the  union  of  two  large 
streams,  coming  one  from  the  southeast,  and 
the  other  from  the  northeast,  and  meeting  in 
what  may  be  treated  as  the  geographical 
centre  of  the  Oregon  valley,  thence  doubling 
the  volume  of  water  to  the  ocean,  while 
opening  two  great  lines  of  communication 
with  the  interior  continent,  constitutes  a 
feature  in  the  map  of  the  country  which 
cannot  be  overlooked ;  and  it  was  probabl* 
in  reference  to  this  junction  of  waters,  and 
these  lines  of  communication,  that  this  pogt 
was  established.  They  are  important  lines 
and,  from  the  structure  of  the  country,  mn«t 
for  ever  remain  so — one  of  them  leading  to 
the  South  Pass,  and  to  the  valley  of  the 
Mississipi ;  the  other  to  the  pass  at  the  head 
of  the  Athabasca  river,  and  to  the  countriei 
drained  by  the  waters  of  the  Hudson  Bay, 
The  British  fur  companies  now  use  both 
lines ;  the  Americans,  in  their  emigration  to 
Oregon,  have  begun  to  follow  the  one  whioh 
leads  towards  the  United  States.  Bateaiu 
from  tide  water  ascend  to  the  junction,  and 
thence  high  up  the  North  fork,  or  Columbia. 
Land  conveyance  only  is  used  upon  the  line 
of  Lewis's  fork.  To  the  emigrants  to  Ore- 
gon, the  Nez  Perce  is  a  point  of  interest,  u 
being,  to  those  who  choose  it,  the  terminatioi 
of  their  overland  journey.  The  broad  ex- 
panse of  the  river  here  invites  them  to  em- 
bark on  its  bosom ;  and  the  lofty  trees  of  the 
forest  furnish  the  means  of  doing  so. 

From  the  South  Pass  to  this  place  is  about 
1,000  miles;  and  as  it  is  about  the  same 
distance  from  that  pass  to  the  Missouri  rivet 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas,  it  may  be  as- 
sumed that  2,000  miles  is  the  necessary  \tai     /mitilah 


travel  in  crossing  from  the  United  States  to 
the  Pacific  ocean  on  this  line.  From  the 
mouth  of  the  Great  Platte  it  would  be  about 
100  miles  less. 

Mr.  McKinley,  the  commander  of  the  poBt, 
received  us  with  great  civility ;  and  both  to 
myself,  and  the  heads  of  the  emigrants  who 
were  there  at  the  time,  extended  the  rights 
of  hospitality  in  a  comfortable  dinner  to 
which  he  invited  us. 

By  a  meridional  altitude  of  the  sun,  the 
only  observation  that  the  weather  permitted 
us  to  obtain,  the  mouth  of  the  Walahwalah 
river  is  in  latitude  46°  03'  46'';  and,  by  the 
road  we  had  travelled,  612  miles  from  For 
Hall.  At  the  time  of  our  arrival,  a  coj- 
siderable  body  of  the  emigrants  under  tlJ 
direction  of  Mr.  Applegate,  a  man  of  ecu- 
siderable  resolution  and  energy,  had  nearlj 
completed    the    building    of   a  number  9 


Ifackina' 

continue 
Columbia 
Walahwa 
hundred  i 
fur  Califo 
couver,  a 
inferior   t 
emigratioi 
journey  b 
Colnmbia, 
with  them 
Having 
iresh  hore 
creased  o' 
salmon,  pi 
lomed  our 
Columbia, 
iotelligeni 
toaccompt 
From  ai 
road  led,  ' 
Ifount  H( 
tiined  on  t 
the  sun  at 
ib"  68-  08 
impreposse 
we  toiled  I 
nods,  and 
rock,  our  li 
contrasted 
Applegate'j 
came  glidii 
which  here 
unootli. 
river  bank, 
ind  less  tin 
ou  the  road 
^vorable 
October 
Ihe  river,  i 
St.  Helens, 
»de  range 


This   strea 
^^alahwa 
ock,  in  p 
ampment 
iv're  was 
Hie  Indian 
ihich  were 
October  I 
11  latitude 
2' 18". 
live  white 
2rature  at 
'f  24«'. 

I^d  the  sta 
jeon  the 
li^tely  witl 
iii^ed  fine 
wittered 
leir;  she 
»«kof  M( 


[1841.  I  1N*-1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ioi 


Fort  Hall,  ud 
wis's  fork,  Sho< 
i  the  North  fork, 
le  of  Columbii 

junction,  being 
lion  of  two  large 
le  southeast,  and 
:,  and  meeting  in 
he  geographical 
thence  doubling 
lie  ocean,  while 
f  communication 
it,  constitutes  a 
B  country  which 
I  it  was  probably 
n  of  waters,  and 
on,  that  this  post 
i  important  line*, 
:he  country,  mait 

them  leading  to 
the  valley  of  the 
)  pass  at  the  head 
1  to  the  countries 
the  Hudson  Bay. 
>s  now  use  both 
heir  emigration  to 
low  the  one  which 
States.  Bateau 
)  the  junction,  and 
fork,  or  Columbia, 
used  upon  the  line 
emigrants  to  Ore- 
>int  of  interest,  aa 
!  it,  the  terminatioa 
'.  The  broad  ex> 
ivites  them  to  em- 
e  lofty  trees  of  the  I 
if  doing  so.  ! 

this  place  is  abottf 
s  about  the  same 

the  Missouri  rivei 
sas,  it  may  be  as- 

the  necessary  land 
e  United  States  to  I 
s  line.    From  the  I 
3  it  would  be  about 

mander  of  the  noet, 
vility ;  and  both  to 
the  emigrants  who 
xtended  the  rights 
fortable  dinner  to 

ide  of  the  sun,  the 
5  weather  permitted 
of  the  Walahwalah 
3'  46'' ;  and,  by  th« 
12  miles  from  For 
our  arrival,  a  coi- 
migrants  under  tl« 
ate,  a  man  of  ccn* 
energy,  had  nearlf 
r   of  a  number  n 


Mackinaw  boats,  in  which  they  proposed  to 
continue  their  furuier  voyage  down  the 
Columbia.  I  had  seen,  in  descending  the 
Walahwalah  river,  a  fine  drove  of  several 
bundred  cattle,  which  they  had  exchanged 
fur  Californian  catile,  to  be  received  at  Van- 
couver, and  which  are  considered  a  very 
inferior  breed.  The  other  portion  of  the 
emigration  had  preferred  to  complete  their 
journey  by  land  along  the  banks  of  tne 
Columbia,  taking  their  stock  and  wagons 
with  them. 

Having  reinforced  our  animals  with  eight 
Iresh  horses,  hired  from  the  post,  and  in- 
creased our  stock  of  provisions  with  dried 
salmon,  potatoes,  and  a  little  beef,  we  re- 
inmed  our  journey  down  the  left  bank  of  the 
Columbia,  being  guided  on  our  road  by  an 
intelligent  Indian  boy,  whom  I  had  engaged 
to  accompany  us  as  tar  as  the  Dalles. 

From  an  elevated  point  over  which  the 
road  led,  we  obtained  another  far  view  of 
Mount  Hood,  150  miles  distant.  We  ob- 
tained on  the  river  bank  an  observation  of 
the  sun  at  roon,  which  gave  for  the  latitude 
16'  68'  08''.  The  country  to-day  was  very 
unprepossessing,  and  our  road  bad  ;  and  as 
m.  toiled  slowly  along  through  deep  loose 
Mods,  and  over  fragments  of  black  volcanic 
rock,  our  laborious  travelling  was  strongly 
contrasted  with  the  rapid  progress  of  Mr. 
Applegate's  fleet  of  boats,  which  suddenly 
came  gliding  swiftly  down  the  broad  river, 
which  here  chanced  to  be  tranquil  and 
imooth.  At  evening  we  encamped  on  the 
river  bank,  where  there  was  very  little  grass, 
ind  less  timber.  We  frequently  met  Indians 
oa  the  road,  and  they  were  collected  at  every 
iavorable  spot  along  the  river. 

October  29. — The   road  continued  along 
|lhe  river,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day  Mount 
"It.  Helens,  another  snowy  peak  of  the  Cas- 
ide  range,  was  visible.     We  crossed  the 
ms.tilah  river  at  a  fall   near  its  mouth. 
('his   stream  is  of  the  same  class  as  the 
Walahwalah  river,  with  a  bed  of  volcanic 
ck,  in  places  split  into  fissures.     Our  en- 
ainpment  was  similar  to  that  of  yesterday ; 
K're  was  very  little  grass,  and  no  wood. 
he  Indians  brought  us  some  pieces  for  sale, 
\hich  were  purchased  to  make  our  fires. 
October  31. — By  observation,  our  camp  is 
,  latitude  45°  50'  06",  and  longitude  119" 
i'  18".     The  night  has  been  cold,  and  we 
ive  white  frost  this  morning,  with  a  tem- 
jrature  at  daylight  of  25°,  and  at  sunrise 
f  24".     The  early  morning  was  very  clear, 
id  the  stars  bright ;  but,  as  usual  since  we 
on  the  Columbia,  clouds  formed  imme- 
ii^tely  with  the  rising  sun.     The  day  con- 
ed fine,  the   east  being    covered  with 
tered   clouds,   but  the  west  remaining 
teir;    showing   the   remarkable  cone-like 
of  Mount  Hood  brightly  drawn  against 


the  sky.  This  was  in  view  all  day  in  tht 
southwest,  but  no  other  peaks  of  the  range 
were  visible.  Our  road  was  a  bad  one,  ot 
very  loose  deep  sand.  We  met  on  the  war 
a  party  of  Indians  unusually  well  dressed, 
wearing  clothes  of  civilized  texture  and 
form.  They  appeared  intelligent,  and,  in 
our  slight  intercourse,  impressed  me  with 
the  belief  that  they  possessed  some  aptitude 
for  acquiring  languages. 

We  continued  to  travel  along  the  river, 
the  stream  being  interspersed  with  many 
sand  bars  (it  being  the  season  of  low  water) 
and  with  many  islands,  and  an  apparently 
good  navigation.  Small  willows  were  tlie 
only  wood;  rock  and  sand  the  prominent 
geological  feature.  The  rock  of  this  section 
is  a  very  compact  and  tough  basalt,  occurring 
in  strata  which  have  the  appearance  of  being 
broken  into  fragments,  assuming  the  form  of 
columnar  hills,  and  appearing  always  in  es- 
carpments, with  the  broken  fragments  strew- 
ed at  the  base  and  over  the  adjoining  coun- 
try. 

We  made  a  late  encampment  on  the  river, 
and  used  to-night  purshia  tridentata  for  fire 
wood.  Among  the  rocks  which  formed  the 
bank,  was  very  good  green  grass.  Latitude 
46°  44'  23",  longitude  119°  46'  09". 

November  1. — Mount  Hood  is  glowing  in 
the  sunlight  this  morning,  and  the  air  is 
pleasant,  with  a  temperature  of  38*».  ,  We 
continued  down  the  river,  and,  passing 
through  a  pretty  green  valley,  bounded  by 
high  precipitous  rocks,  encamped  at  the  lower 
end. 

On  the  right  shore,  the  banks  of  the  Co- 
lumbia are  very  high  and  steep ;  the  river  is 
1,690  feet  broad,  and  dark  bluffs  of  rock  give 
it  a  picturesque  appearance. 

November  2. — The  river  here  entered 
among  blufTs,  leaving  no  longer  room  for  a 
road  ;  and  we  accordingly  leil  it,  and  took  a 
more  inland  way  among  the  river  hills ;  on 
wb'ch  we  had  no  sooner  entered,  than  we 
founti  a  great  improvement  in  the  country. 
The  sand  had  disappeared,  and  the  soil  was 
good,  and  covered  with  excellent  grass,  al- 
though the  surface  was  broken  into  high 
hills,  with  uncommonly  deep  valleys.  At 
noon  we  crossed  John  Day's  river,  a  clear 
and  beautiful  stream,  with  a  swift  current 
and  a  bed  of  rolled  stones.  It  is  sunk  in  a 
deep  valley,  which  is  characteristic  of  all  the 
streams  hi  this  region ;  and  the  hill  we  de- 
scended to  reach  it  well  deserves  the  name 
of  mountain.  Some  of  the  emigrants  had 
encamped  on  the  river,  and  others  at  the 
summit  of  the  farther  hill,  the  ascent  of 
which  had  probably  cost  their  wagons  a  day's 
labor;  and  others  again  had  halted  for  the 
night  a  few  miles  beyond,  where  mey  had 
slept  without  water.  We  also  encamped  in 
a  grassy  hollow  without  water ;  bu^  as  we 


110 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841. 


ImiI  been  forewarned  of  this  privation  by  the 

Slide,  the  animals  had  all  been  watered  at 
e  river,  and  we  had  brought  with  us  a  suf- 
ficient quantity  for  the  night. 

Novembers. — After  two  hours' ride  through 
a  fertile,  hilly  country,  covered  as  all  the  up- 
land here  appears  to  be  with  good  green 
grass,  we  descended  again  into  the  river  bot- 
tom, along  which  we  resumed  our  sterile 
road,  and  in  about  four  miles  reached  the 
ford  of  the  Fall  river  (Riviire  aux  Chutes), 
a  considerable  tributary  to  the  Columbia. 
We  had  heard  on  reaching  the  Nez  Perce  fort, 
a  repetition  of  the  account  in  regard  to  the  un- 
settled character  of  the  Columbia  Indians  at 
the  present  time ;  and  to  our  little  party  they 
had  at  various  points  manifested  a  not  very 
friendly  disposition,  in  several  attempts  to 
steal  our  horses.  At  this  place  I  expected 
to  find  a  badly  disposed  band,  who  had  plun- 
dered a  party  of  14  emigrant  men  a  few  days 
before,  and  taken  away  their  horses;  and 
accordingly  we  made  the  necessary  prepara- 
tions for  our  security,  but  happily  met  with 
no  difficulty. 

The  river  was  high,  divided  into  several 
arms,  with  a  rocky  island  at  its  outlet  into 
the  Columbia,  which  at  this  place  it  rivalled 
in  size,  and  apparently  deserved  its  highly 
characteristic  name,  which  is  received  from 
one  of  its  many  falls  some  forty  miles  up  the 
river.  It  entered  the  Columbia  with  a  roar 
of  falls  and  rapids,  and  is  probably  a  favorite 
fishing  station  among  the  Indians,  with 
whom  both  banks  of  the  river  were  populous ; 
but  they  scarcely  paid  any  attention  to  us. 
The  ford  was  very  difficult  at  this  time,  and, 
had  they  entertainoa  any  bad  intentions,  they 
were  offered  a  good  opportunity  to  carry 
them  out  as  I  drove  directly  into  the  river, 
and  during  the  crossing  the  howitzer  was 
occasionally  several  feet  under  water,  and  a 
number  of  the  men  appeared  to  be  more  often 
below  than  above.  Our  guide  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  ford,  and  we  succeeded  in 
getting  everything  safe  over  to  the  left  bank. 
We  delayed  here  only  a  short  time  to  put 
the  gun  in  order,  and,  ascending  a  long 
mountain  hill,  left  both  rivers,  and  resumed 
our  route  again  among  the  interior  hills. 

The  roar  of  the  Falls  of  the  Columbia  is 
heard  from  the  heights,  where  we  halted  a 
few  moments  to  enjoy  a  fine  view  of  the 
river  below.  In  the  season  of  high  water  it 
would  be  a  very  in' cresting  object  to  visit,  in 
order  to  witness  wlmr,  i:<  ri'hitedof  the  annual 
submerging  of  tln^  (nW  under  the  waters 
which  back  np  frtim  tiic 
tuting  a  great  niLural 
But  time  had  bec.onic  an  object  of  serious 
consideration  ;  antl  the  Falls,  in  their  present 
state,  had  been  seen  and  described  by  many. 

After  a  day's  journey  of  17  miles,  we  en- 
camped among  the  hills  on  a  little  clear 


has  in  below,  consti- 
lock  at  this  place. 


stream,  where,  as  usual,  the  Indiana  imow. 
diately  gathered  round  us.  Among  them 
was  a  very  old  man,  almost  blind  from  age, 
with  long  and  very  white  hair.  I  happened 
of  my  own  accord  to  give  this  old  man  a  pre* 
sent  of  tobacco,  and  was  struck  with  the  im- 
pression which  mv  unpropitiated  notice  made 
on  the  Indians,  who  appeared  in  a  remarka- 
ble  manner  acquainted  with  the  real  value  of 
goods,  and  to  understand  the  equivalents  of 
trade.  At  evening,  one  of  them  spoke  a  few 
words  to  his  people,  and,  telling  me  that  we 
need  entertain  no  uneasiness  in  regard  to  out 
animals,  as  none  of  them  would  be  disturbed, 
they  went  all  quietly  away.  In  the  morning, 
when  they  again  came  to  the  camp,  I  ex- 
pressed to  them  the  gratification  we  felt  at 
their  reasonable  conduct,  making  them  apre< 
sent  of  some  large  knives  and  a  few  smaller 
articles. 

November  4. — The  road  continued  among 
the  hills,  and,  reaching  an  eminence,  we  saw 
before  us,  watered  by  a  clear  stream,  a 
tolerably  large  valley,  through  which  the 
trail  passed. 

In  comparison  with  the  Indians  of  the 
Rocky  mountains  and  the  great  easteni 
plain,  these  are  disagreeably  dirty  in  theit 
habits.  Their  huts  were  crowded  with  half- 
naked  women  and  children,  and  the  atmo- 
sphere within  anything  but  pleasant  to  per- 
sons who  had  just  been  riding  in  the  fresh 
morning  air.  We  were  somewhat  amused 
with  the  scanty  dress  of  one  woman,  who,  in 
common  with  the  others,  rushed  out  of  the 
huts  on  our  arrival,  and  who,  in  default  of 
other  covering,  used  a  child  for  a  fig  leaf. 

The  road  in  about  half  an  hour  passed  near 
an  elevated  point,  from  which  we  overlookeii 
the  valley  of  the  Columbia  for  many  miiss, 
and  saw  in  the  distance  several  houses  sup 
rounded  by  fields,  which  a  chief,  who  hi 
accompanied  us  from  the  village,  pointed  out 
to  us  as  the  Methodist  missionary  station. 

In  a  few  miles  we  descended  to  the  river, 
which  we  reached  at  one  of  its  remarkably  in- 
teresting features,  known  as  the  Dalles  of  tit 
Columbia.  The  whole  volume  of  the  riverat 
this  place  passed  between  the  walls  oft 
chasm,  which  has  the  appearance  of  havin; 
been  rent  through  the  basaltic  strata  which 
form  the  valley  rock  of  the  region.  At  the 
narrowest  place  we  found  the  breadth,  by  met 
surement,  58  yards,  and  the  average  height 
of  the  walls  above  the  water  25  feet ;  form- 
ing a  trough  between  the  rocks — whence  the 
name,  probably  applied  by  a  Canadian  voyii 
geur.  The  mass  of  water,  in  the  presen' 
low  state  of  the  river,  passed  swiftly  hf 
tween,  deep  and  black,  and  curled  intomaif 
small  whirlpools  and  counter  currents,  hit 
unbroken  by  foam,  and  so  still  that  scarciljf 
the  sound  of  a  rippie  was  nearo.  The  raK 
for  a  considerable  distance  from  the  rivet. 


[1841.1    I84t.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVK. 


e  Indians  imoM< 
i.  Among  then 
3t  blind  from  age, 
air.  I  happened 
hia  old  man  a  pre- 
ruck  with  the  im- 
liated  notice  made 
ed  in  a  remarka- 
1  the  real  value  of 
le  equivalents  of 
them  spoke  a  few 
illing  me  that  we 
88  in  regard  to  our 
^ould  be  disturbed, 
.  In  the  morning, 
I  the  camp,  I  ex< 
ication  we  felt  at 
naking  them  a  pre- 
and  a  few  smaller 

I  continued  among 

eminence,  we  saw 

clear  stream,  a 

lirough  which  the 

ho  Indians  of  the 
the  great  eastern 
ibly  dirty  in  theit 
crowded  with  half- 
en,  and  the  atrao- 
ut  pleasant  to  per- 
riding  in  the  fresh 
somewhat  amused 
ne  woman,  who,  in 
rushed  out  of  the 
who,  in  default  o[ 
ild  for  a  fig  leaf, 
in  hour  passed  near 
hich  we  overlooked 
ia  for  many  mil«s, 
several  houses  su^ 
1  a  chief,  who  had 
village,  pointed  out 
issionary  station, 
tended  to  the  river, 
of  its  remarkably  in- 
\B.s  the  Dalles  of  tit 
olume  of  the  riveratl 
een  the  walls  ofi 
Dpearance  of  having 
asaltic  strata  whicbl 
the  region.     At  the 
1  the  breadth,  by  tnea' 
the  average  height] 
water  25  feet ;  form- 
B  rocks — whence  the] 
by  a  Canadian  voyi 
ater,  in  the  presen' 
,  passed  swiftly  bf 
ind  curled  intomaij 
ounter  currents,  U 
so  still  that  scarolj 
18  neara.     The  rocKi 
ince  from  the  riveii 


was  worn  over  a  lai'ge  portion  of  its  surface 
into  circular  holes  and  well-like  cavities,  by 
the  abrasion  of  the  river,  which,  at  tlie  sea- 
eon  of  high  waters,  is  spread  out  over  the 
adjoining  bottoms. 

In  tiie  recent  passage  through  this  chasm, 
an  unfortunate  event  had  occurred  to  Mr.  Ap- 
nlegate's  party,  in  the  loss  of  one  of  their 
boats,  which  had  been  carried  under  water  in 
the  midst  ot  the  Dalles,  and  two  of  Mr.  Apple- 
gate's  children  and  one  man  drowned.  This 
misfortune  was  attributed  only  to  want  of 
skill  in  the  steersman,  as  at  this  season  there 
is  no  impediment  to  navigation;  although 
the  place  is  entirely  impassable  at  high  wa- 
ter, when  boats  pass  safely  over  the  great 
falls  above,  in  the  submerged  state  in  which 
they  then  find  themselves. 

The  basalt  here  is  precisely  the  same  as 
that  which  constitutes  the  rock  of  the  valley 
higlier  up  the  Columbia,  being  very  compact, 
with  a  few  round  cavities. 

We  passed  rapidly  three  or  four  miles 
down  the  level  valley,  and  enca'iped  near 
the  mission.  The  character  of  the  forest 
growth  here  changed,  and  we  found  our- 
selves, with  pleasure,  again  among  oaks  and 
other  forest  trees  of  the  east,  to  which  we 
had  lone  been  strangers ;  and  the  hospitable 
and  kind  reception  with  which  we  were  wel- 
comed among  our  country  people  at  the  mis- 
sion aided  the  momentary  illusion  of  home. 

Two  good-looking  wooden  dwelling  houses, 
and  a  large  school  house,  with  stables,  barn, 
and  garden,  and  large  cleared  fields  between 
the  houses  and  the  river  bank,  on  which 
were  scattered  the  wooden  huts  of  an  Indian 
village,  gave  to  the  valley  the  cheerful  and 
busy  air  of  civilisation,  and  had  in  our  eyes 
an  appearance  of  abundant  and  enviable  com- 
fort. 

Our  land  journey  found  here  its  western 
termination.     The  delay  involved  in  getting 
our  camp  to  the  right  bank  of  the  Columbia, 
and  in  opening  a  road  through  the  continu- 
ous forest  to  Vancouver,  rendered  a  journey 
along  the  river  impracticable;  and  on  this 
side  the  usual  road  across  the  mountain  re- 
quired strong  and  fresh  animals,  there  being 
an  interval  of  three  days  in  which  they  could 
obtain  no  food.     I  therefore  wrote  immedi- 
ately to  Mr.   Fitzpatrick,  directing  him  to 
abandon  the  carts  at  the  Walahwalah  mis- 
sionary station,  and,  as  soon  as  the  necessary 
pack  saddles  could  be  made,  which  his  party 
required,  meet  me  at  the  Dalles,  from  which 
point  I  proposed  to  commence  our  homeward 
journey.     The  day  after  our  arrival  being 
Sunday,  no  business  could  be  done  at  the 
I  i  mission ;  but  on  Monday  Mr.  Perkins  assist- 
ed me  in  procuring  from  the  Indians  a  large 
eanoe,  in  which  I  designed  to  complete  our 
jouriiey  to  Vancouver,  where  I  expected  to 
ibtain  the  necessary  supply  of  provisions 


and  stores  for  our  winter  journey.  Thre* 
Indians,  from  the  family  to  whom  the  canoe 
belonged,  were  engaged  to  assist  in  working 
her  during  the  voyajre,  and,  with  them,  our 
water  party  consisted  of  Mr.  Preuss  and  my- 
self, with  Bernier  and  Jacob  Dodson.  Ia 
charge  of  the  party  which  was  to  remain  at 
the  Dalles  I  left  Carson,  with  instructions  te 
occupy  the  people  in  making  pack  saddles 
and  refitting  tneir  equipage.  The  village 
from  which  we  were  to  take  the  canoe  was 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  about  ten 
miles  below,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tinnnens 
creek  ;  and  while  Mr.  Preuss  proceeded 
down  the  river  with  the  instruments,  in  a 
little  canoe  paddled  by  two  Indians,  Mr.  Per- 
kins accompanied  me  with  the  remainder  of 
the  party  by  land.  The  last  of  the  emigrants 
had  just  left  the  Dalles  at  the  time  of  our  ar- 
rival, travelling  some  by  water  and  others  b) 
land,  making  ark-like  rafts,  on  which  thet 
had  embarked  their  families  and  household, 
with  their  large  wagons  and  other  fumitnre, 
\yhile  their  stock  were  driven  along  the 
shore. 

For  about  five  miles  below  the  Dalles,  the 
river  is  narrow,  and  probably  very  deep ;  but 
during  this  distance  it  is  somewhat  open, 
with  grassy  bottoms  on  the  left.  Entering, 
then,  among  the  lowev  mountains  of  the 
Cascade  range,  it  assumes  a  general  charac- 
ter, and  high  and  steep  rocky  hills  shut  it  in 
on  either  side,  rising  abruptly  in  places  to 
the  height  of  1,600  feet  above  the  water,  and 
gradually  acquiring  a  more  mountainous 
character  as  the  river  approaches  the  Cas- 
cades. 

After  an  hour's  travel,  when  the  sun  was 
nearly  down,  we  searched  along  tlie  shore 
for  a  pleasant  place,  and  haltca  to  prepare 
supper.  We  had  been  well  supplied  by  our 
friends  at  the  mission  with  delicious  salted 
salmon,  which  had  been  taken  at  the  fattest 
season;  also,  with  potatoes,  bread,  coflfee, 
and  sugar.  We  were  delighted  at  a  change 
in  our  mode  cf  travelling  and  living.  The 
canoe  sailed  smoothly  down  the  river  :  at 
night  we  encamped  upon  the  shore,  and  a 
plentiful  supply  of  comfortable  provisions 
supplied  the  first  of  wants.  We  enjoyed  the 
contrast  which  it  presented  to  our  late  toil- 
some marchings,  our  night  watchings,  and 
our  frequent  privation  of  food.  We  were  a 
motley  group,  but  all  happy :  three  unknown 
Indians ;  Jacob,  a  colored  man  ;  Mr.  Preuss, 
a  German  ;  Bernier,  creo' j  French ;  and 
myself. 

Being  now  upon  the  yround  explored  by 
the  South  Sea  expedition  under  Captain 
Wilkes,  and  having  accomplished  the  object 
of  uniting  my  survey  with  his,  and  thus  pre- 
senting a  connected  exploration  from  the 
Mississippi  to  the  Pacific,  and  the  winter  be* 
ing  at  hand,  I  deemed  it  necessary  to  ecoDe* 


*"■ 


t  >l 


Ml 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


(184I. 


time  by  voyaging  in  the  niirht,  as  is 

eaitomary  here,  to  avoid  the  high  winds, 
which  rise  with  the  morning,  and  decline 
with  the  day. 

Accordingly,  after  an  hour's  halt,  we  again 
embarked,  and  resumed  our  pleasant  voyage 
down  tlie  river.  The  wind  rose  to  a  gale 
after  several  hours  ;  but  the  moon  was  very 
bright,  and  the  wind  waa  fair,  and  the  canoe 
fflanced  rapidly  down  the  stream,  the  waves 
breaking  into  foam  alongside;  and  our 
night  voyage,  as  the  wind  l>ore  us  rapidly 
alone  between  the  dark  mountains,  was  wild 
and  mteresting.  About  midnight  we  put  to 
the  shore  on  a  rocky  beach,  behind  which 
was  a  dark-looking  pine  forest.  We  built  up 
large  fires  among  the  rocks,  which  were  in 
large  masses  round  about ;  and,  arranging 
our  blankets  on  the  most  sheltered  places  we 
could  find,  passed  a  delightful  night. 

After  an  early  breakfast,  at  daylight  we 
resumed  our  journey,  the  weather  being 
clear  and  beautiful,  and  the  river  smooth 
and  still.  On  eitiicr  side  the  mountains  are 
all  pine-timbered,  rocky,  and  high.  Wje 
were  now  approaching  one  of  the  marked 
features  of  the  lower  Columbia,  where  the 
river  forms  a  great  cascade,  with  a  series  of 
rapids,  in  breaking  through  the  range  of 
mountains  to  which  the  lofty  peaks  of  Mount 
Hood  and  St.  Helens  belong,  and  which  rise 
as  great  pillars  of  snow  on  either  side  of  the 
passage.  The  main  branch  of  the  Sacra- 
mento river,  and  the  Tlamalh,  issue  in  cas- 
cades from  this  range ;  and  ^he  Columbia, 
breaking  through  it  in  a  succession  of  cas- 
cades, gives  the  idea  of  cascades  to  the 
whole  range  ;  and  hence  the  name  of  Cas- 
cade Range,  which  it  bears,  and  distin- 
ffuishes  it  from  the  Coast  Range  lower  down, 
u  making  a  short  turn  to  the  south,  the 
river  forms  the  cascades  in  breaking  over  a 
point  of  agglomerated  masses  of  rock,  leav- 
ing a  handsome  bay  to  the  right,  with  seve- 
ral rocky  pine-covered  islands,  and  the 
mountains  sweep  at  a  distance  around  a 
cove  where  several  small  streams  enter  the 
bay.  In  less  than  an  hour  we  halted  on  the 
left  bank,  about  five  minutes'  walk  above 
the  cascades,  where  there  were  several  In- 
dian huts,  and  where  our  guides  signified  it 
was  customary  to  hire  Indians  to  assist  in 
making  the  portage.  When  travelling  with 
a  boat  as  light  as  a  cr.noe,  which  may 
easily  be  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  In- 
dians, this  is  much  the  better  side  of  the 
river  for  the  portage,  as  the  ground  here  is 
very  good  and  level,  being  a  handsome  bot- 
tom, which  I  remarked  was  covered  (as  was 
now  always  llie  case  along  the  river)  with  a 
growth  of  green  and  fresh-looking  grass. 
It  was  long  before  we  could  come  to  an  un- 
derstanding with  the  Indians ;  but  at  length, 
when  tliey  had  first  received    the  price  of 


I  their  assistance  in  goods,  they  went  Ticoiw 
I  ously  to  work ;  and,  in  a  shorter  time  thao 
had  been  occupied  in  making  our  arrange- 
ments, the  canoe,  instruments,  and  baggage, 
were  carried  through  (a  distance  of  about 
half  a  mile)  to  the  bank  below  the  main 
cascade,  where  we  again  embarked,  the 
water  being  white  with  foam  among  ugl* 
rocks,  and  boiling  into  a  thousand  whirl- 
pools. The  boat  passed  with  great  rapidity, 
crossing  and  recrossing  in  the  eddies  of  the 
current.  After  passing  through  about  two 
miles  of  broken  water,  we  ran  some  wild 
looking  rapids,  which  are  called  the  Lower 
Rapids,  being  the  last  on  the  river,  which 
below  is  tranquil  and  smooth — a  broad,  mag- 
nificent stream.  On  a  low  broad  point  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  river,  at  the  lower  end 
of  these  rapids,  were  pitched  many  tents  of 
the  emigrants,  who  were  waiting  here  for 
their  friends  from  above,  or  for  boats  and 
provisions  which  were  expected  from  Van- 
couver. In  our  passage  down  the  rapids,  I 
had  noticed  their  camps  along  the  shore,  or 
transporting  their  goods  across  the  portage. 
This  portage  makes  a  head  of  navigation, 
ascending  the  river.  It  is  about  two  miles 
in  length ;  and  above,  to  the  Dalles,  is  45 
miles  of  smooth  and  good  navigation. 

We  glided  on  without  further  interruption 
between  very  rocky  and  high  steep  moun- 
tains, which  sweep  along  the  river  valley  at 
a  little  distance,  covered  with  forests  of  pine, 
and  showing  occasionally  lotty  escarpments 
of  red  rock.  Nearer,  the  shore  is  bordered 
by  steep  escarped  hills  and  huge  vertical 
rocks,  from  which  the  waters  of  the  moun 
tain  reach  the  river  in  a  variety  of  beautiful 
falls,  sometimes  several  hundred  feel  in 
height.  Occasionally  along  the  river  occur- 
red pretty  bottoms,  covered  with  the  green- 
est verdure  of  the  spring.  To  a  profession- 
al farmer,  however,  it  does  not  offer  many 
places  of  sufiicient  extent  to  be  valuable  for 
agriculture  ;  and  after  passing  a  few  miles 
below  the  Dalles,  I  had  scarcely  seen  a  place 
on  the  south  shore  where  wagons  could  get 
to  the  river.  The  beauty  of  the  scenery 
was  heightened  by  the  continuance  of  very 
delightful  weather,  resembling  the  Indian 
summer  of  the  Atlantic.  A  few  miles  be- 
low the  cascades,  we  passed  a  singular  iso- 
lated hill ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  next  six 
miles  occurred  five  very  pretty  falls  from  the 
heights  on  the  left  bank,  one  of  them  being 
of  a  very  picturesque  character ;  and  towards 
sunset  we  reached  a  remarkable  point  of 
rocks,  distinguished,  on  account  of  prevail- 
iug  high  winds,  and  the  delay  it  frequently 
occasions  to  the  canoe  navigation,  by  the 
name  of  Cape  Horn.  It  borders  the  rivet 
in  a  high  wall  of  rock,  which  comes  boldly 
down  into  deep  water  ;  and  in  violent  galei 
down  the  river,  and  from  the  opposite  Bnore^ 


[1841. 

7  went  Ticoiw 
rter  time  than 

our  arrange- 

and  baggage, 
ance  of  about 
ilow  the  main 
mbarked,  the 

among  u^lt 
ousand  whirl- 
great  rapidity, 

eddies  of  the 
igh  about  two 
an  some  wild 
led  the  Lower 
e  river,  which 
-a  broad,  mag- 
)road  point  on 

the  lower  eud 
many  tents  of 
iiting  here  for 

for  boats  and 
:ted  from  Van- 
i^n  the  rapids,  I 
g  the  shore,  or 
iss  the  portage. 

of  navigation, 
bout  two  miles 
ie  Dalles,  is  4(1 
vigation. 
Iier  interruption 
[h  steep  moun- 
e  river  valley  at 
ii  forests  of  pine, 
fty  escarpments 
lore  is  bordered 
d  huge  vertical 
rs  of  the  moun 
iety  of  beautiful 
lundred  feet    in 
the  river  occur- 
with  the  green- 
To  a  profession- 

not  offer  many 
>  be  valuable  for 
ling  a  few  miles 
cely  seen  a  place 
agons  could  get 

of  the  scenery 
:inuance  of  very 
iling  the  Indian 
A  few  miles  he- 
'd a  singular  iso- 
e  of  the  next  six 
■tty  falls  from  the 
tie  of  them  being 
;ter ;  and  towards 
arkable  point  of 
;count  of  prevail- 
•lay  it  frequently 
ivigation,  by  the 
Borcers  the  rivei 
lich  comes  boldly 
1  in  violent  galea 
le  opposite  enoie. 


Htfl 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


Itfl 


irbich  IB  the  prevailing  direction  of  strong 
winds,  the  wa'  '  vh  dashed  against  it  with 
eoniiderable  v.v'(..:i '.e.  It  appearu  to  fo*'ii  a 
lerious  obstacle  to  canoe  travelling;  and  1 
was  informed  by  Mr.  Perkins,  that  m  a  voy- 
age up  the  river  he  had  been  detained  two 
weeks  at  this  place,  and  was  finally  obliged 
to  return  to  Vancouver. 

The  winds  of  this  region  deserve  a  par- 
ticular study.  They  blow  in  currents, 
which  show  them  to  be  governed  by  fixed 
laws ;  and  it  is  a  problem  how  far  they  may 
come  from  the  mountains,  or  from  the  ocean 
through  tlie  breaks  :n  the  mountains  which 
let  out  the  river. 

The  hills  here  had  lost  something  of  their 
rocky  appearance,  and  had  already  l}egun  tj 
decline.  As  the  sun  went  down,  we  ser.rch- 
ed  along  the  river  for  an  inviting  ^pot ,  and, 
finding  a  clean  rocky  beach,  where  some 
large  dry  trees  were  lying  on  the  ground, 
we  ran  our  boat  to  the  shore ;  and,  after  an- 
other comfortable  supper,  ploughed  our  way 
along  the  river  in  darkness.  Heavy  clouds 
covered  the  sky  this  evening,  and  the  wind 
besfan  to  sweep  in  gusts  among  the  trees,  as 
if  l.ad  weather  were  coming.  As  we  ad- 
vanced, the  hills  on  both  sides  grew  con- 
stantly lower ;  on  the  right,  retreating  from 
the  shore,  and  forming  a  somewhat  exten- 
sive bottom  of  intermingled  prairie  and 
wooded  land.  In  the  course  of  a  few  hours, 
and  opposite  to  a  small  stream  coming  in 
from  the  north,  called  the  Tea  Prairie  river, 
the  highlands  on  the  left  declined  to  the 
plains,  and  three  or  four  miles  below  disap- 
peared entirely  on  both  sides,  and  the  river 
entered  the  low  country.  The  river  had 
gradually  expanded ;  and  when  we  emerged 
from  the  highlands,  the  opposite  shores  were 
80  distant  as  to  appear  indistinct  in  the  un- 
certainty of  the  light.  About  10  o'clock 
our  pilots  halted,  apparently  to  confer  about 
the  course ;  and,  after  a  little  hesitation, 
pulled  directly  across  an  open  expansion  of 
the  river,  where  the  waves  were  somewhat 
rough  for  a  canoe,  the  wind  blowing  very 
firesTi.  Much  to  our  surprise,  a  few  minutes 
afterwards  we  ran  aground.  Backing  off 
our  boat,  we  made  repeated  trials  at  various 
places  to  cross  what  appeared  to  be  a  point 
of  shifting  sand  bars,  where  we  had  at- 
tempted to  shorten  the  way  by  a  cut-off.  Fi- 
nally, one  of  our  Indians  got  into  the  water, 
and  waded  about  until  he  found  a  channel 
Bufficiently  deep,  through  which  we  wound 
along  after  him,  and  in  a  few  minutes  again 
entered  the  deep  water  below.  As  we  pad- 
dled rapidly  down  the  river,  we  heard  the 
noise  of  a  saw  mill  at  work  on  the  right 
bank;  and,  letting  our  boat  float  quietly 
down,  we  listened  with  pleasure  to  the  unu- 
Bual  sounds  ;  and  before  midnight  encamped 
HI  the  back  of  the  river,  about  a  mile  above 

8 


Fort  Vancouver.  Our  fine  dry  weather  htd 
given  place  to  a  dark  cloudy  night.  At  muK 
niffht  It  began  to  rain ;  and  we  found  oar* 
selves  suddenly  in  the  gloomy  and  humid 
season,  which,  in  the  narrow  region  lying 
between  the  Pacific  and  the  Cascade  moun« 
tains,  and  for  a  considerable  distance  along 
the  coast,  supplies  the  place  of  winter. 

In  the  morning,  the  first  object  that  at- 
tracted my  attention  was  the  barque  Colum- 
bia, lying  at  anchor  near  the  landing.  Sh« 
was  about  to  start  on  her  voyage  to  England, 
and  was  now  ready  for  sea ;  Ming  detained 
only  in  waiting  tiie  arrival  of  the  express 
hateans,  which  descend  the  Columbia  and 
its  north  fork  with  the  overland  mail  from 
Canada  and  Hudson's  bay,  which  had  been 
delayed  beyond  their  usual  time.  I  immedi- 
ately waited  upon  Dr.  McLaughlin,  the  ex- 
ecutive officer  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
in  the  territory  west  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains, who  received  me  with  the  courtesy  and 
hospitality  for  which  he  has  been  eminentlj 
distinguished,  and  which  makes  a  forcible 
and  delightful  impression  on  a  traveller 
from  the  long  wilderness  from  which  we  had 
issued.  I  was  immediately  supplied  by  him 
with  the  necessary  stores  and  provisions  to 
relit  and  support  my  party  in  our  contemplat- 
ed winter  journey  to  the  States ;  and  also 
with  a  Mackinaw  boat  and  canoes,  manned 
with  Canadian  and  Iroquois  voyageurs  and 
Indians,  for  their  transportation  to  the  Dalles 
of  the  Columbia.  In  addition  to  this  efficient 
kindness  in  furnishing  me  with  these  neces- 
sary supplies,  I  received  from  him  a  warm 
andf  gratifying  sympathy  in  the  suffering 
which  his  great  experience  led  him  to  antici- 
pate for  us  in  our  homeward  journey,  and  a 
letter  of  recommendation  and  credit  for  any 
officers  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  into 
whose  posts  we  might  be  driven  by  unex- 
pected misfortune. 

Of  course,  the  future  supplies  for  my  par^ 
were  paid  for,  bills  on  the  Government  of  tha 
United  States  being  readily  taken  ;  but  everj 
hospitable  attention  was  extended  to  me,  and 
I  accepted  an  invitation  to  take  a  room  in  the 
fort,  "  and  to  make  myself  at  home  while  1 
stayed." 

I  found  many  American  emigrants  at  the 
fort;  others  had  already  crossed  the  river 
into  their  land  of  promise — the  Walahmette 
valley.  Others  were  daily  arriving;  and  aU 
of  them  had  been  furnished  with  shelter,  so 
far  as  it  could  be  afforded  by  the  buildings 
connected  with  the  establishment.  Necessa- 
ry clothing  and  provisions  (the  latter  to  be 
afterwards  returned  in  kind  from  the  produce 
of  their  labor)  were  also  furnished.  This 
friendly  assistance  was  of  very  great  value 
to  the  emigrants,  whose  families  were  other- 
wise exposed  to  much  sulferingin  che  winter 
rains,  which  had  now  commenced,  at  the 


fe: 


114 


CM'V.  FRKMOAl' ;S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841. 


Mine  time  that  they  wore  in  want  of  all  the 
common  necessaries  of  life.  Those  wlio  Iiad 
taken  a  water  conveyance  at  tlic  Nez  Pcrci 
fort  continued  to  arrive  aafoly,  with  no  other 
accident  than  has  been  already  mentioned. 
The  party  which  iiad  crossed  over  the  Cas- 
cade mountains  were  reported  to  have  lost  a 
number  of  their  animals ;  and  those  who  had 
driven  their  stock  down  the  Columbia  had 
Drought  them  safely  in,  and  found  for  them  a 
ready  and  very  profitable  market,  and  were 
already  proposing  to  return  to  the  States  in 
the  spring  lor  another  supply. 

In  the  space  of  two  days  our  preparations 
had  been  completed,  and  we  were  ready  to 
set  out  on  our  return,  ft  would  have  been 
very  gratifying  to  have  gone  down  to  the  Pa- 
cific, and,  solely  in  the  interest  and  in  the  love 
of  geography,  to  have  seen  the  ocean  on  the 
western  as  well  as  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
continent,  so  as  to  give  a  satisfactory  com- 
pleteness  to  the  geographical  picture  which 
had  been  formed  m  our  minds ;  but  the  rainy 
season  had  now  regularly  set  in,  and  the  air 
was  filled  with  fogs  and  rain,  which  left  no 
beauty  in  any  scenery,  and  obstructed  obser- 
vations. The  object  of  my  instructions  had 
been  entirely  fulfilled  in  having  connected 
our  reconnoissance  with  the  surveys  of  Cap- 
tain Wilkes;  and  although  it  would  have 
been  agreeable  and  satisfactory  to  terminate 
here  also  our  ruder  astronomical  observa- 
tions, I  was  not,  for  such  a  reason,  justified 
to  make  a  delay  in  waiting  for  favorable 
weather. 

Near  sunset  of  the  10th,  the  boats  left  the 
fort,  and  encamped  after  making  only  a  few 
miles.  Our  flotilla  consisted  of  a  Mackinaw 
barge  and  three  canoes — one  of  them  that  in 
which  we  had  descended  the  river ;  and  a 
party  in  all  of  twenty  men.  One  of  the  emi- 
grants, Mr.  Burnet,  of  Missouri,  who  had 
left  his  family  and  property  at  the  Dalles, 
availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  afforded 
by  the  return  of  our  boats  to  bring  them 
down  to  Vancouver.  This  gentleman,  as 
well  as  the  Messrs.  Applegate,  and  others  of 
the  emigrants  whom  I  saw,  possessed  intelli- 
gence and  character,  with  the  moral  and  in- 
tellectual stamina,  as  well  as  the  enterprise, 
which  give  solidity  and  respectability  to  the 
foundation  of  colonies. 

November  11. — The  morning  was  rainy 
and  misty.  We  did  not  move  with  the  prac- 
tised celerity  of  my  own  camp ;  and  it  was 
near  9  o'clock  when  our  motley  crew  had 
finished  their  breakfast  and  were  ready  to 
start.  Once  afloat,  however,  they  worked 
steadily  and  well,  and  we  advanced  at  a  good 
rate  up  the  river ;  and  in  the  afternoon  a 
breeze  sprung  up,  which  enabled  us  to  add  a 
sail  to  the  oars.  At  evening  we  encamped 
on  a  warm-looking  beach,  on  the  right  bank, 
at  »he  foot  of  the  high  river  hill,  immediately 


at  tho  lower  end  of  Capo  Horn. 


ai  mo  lower  onu  oi  v>apo  iiorn.  On  the  <»• 
posite  shore  is  said  to  be  a  singular  hole  in 
tlie  mountain,  from  which  tlie  Indians  be- 
lieve comes  the  wind  producing  these  gales. 
It  is  called  tho  Devil's  hole  ;  and  the  Indians, 
I  was  told,  have  boon  resolving  to  send  down 
one  of  their  slaves  to  explore  the  region  be. 
low.  At  dark,  the  wind  shifted  into  its 
stormy  quarter,  gradually  increasing  to  a 
gale  from  the  southwest ;  and  the  sky  be- 
coming clear,  I  obtained  a  good  observation 
of  an  emersion  of  tho  first  satellite ;  the  re- 
sult of  which,  being  an  absolute  observation, 
I  have  adopted  for  the  longitude  of  the  place. 

November  12. — The  wind  during  the  night 
had  increased  to  so  much  violence,  that  Uie 
broad  river  this  morning  was  angry  and 
white  ;  the  waves  breaking  with  considera- 
ble force  against  this  rocky  wall  of  the  cape. 
Our  old  Iroquois  pilot  was  unwilling  to  nsk 
the  boats  around  the  point,  and  I  was  not  dis- 
posed to  hazard  the  stores  of  our  voyage  for 
the  delay  of  a  day.  Further  observations 
were  obtained  during  the  day,  giving  for  the 
latitude  of  the  place  45°  33'  09" ;  and  the 
longitude,  obtamed  from  the  satellite,  is  122 
6'  16^ 

November  13. — We  had  a  day  of  disagreea< 
ble  and  cold  rain ;  and,  late  in  the  afternoon, 
began  to  approach  the  rapids  of  the  cascades, 
There  is  here  a  high  timoered  island  on  the 
left  shore,  below  wnich,  in  descending,  I  had 
remarked  in  a  bluff  on  the  river  the  extremi- 
ties of  trunks  of  trees  appearing  to  be  im- 
bedded in  the  rock.  Landing  here  this  after- 
iioon,  I  found  in  the  lower  part  of  the  es- 
carpment a  stratum  of  coal  and  forest  trees, 
imbedded  between  strata  of  altered  clay 
containing  the  remains  of  vegetables,  the 
leaves  of  which  indicate  that  the  plants  were 
dicotyledonous.  Among  these,  the  stems  of 
some  of  the  ferns  are  not  mineralized,  but 
merely  charred,  retaining  still  their  vegetable 
structure  and  substance  ;  and  in  this  condi- 
tion a  portion  also  of  the  trees  remain.  The 
indurated  appearance  and  compactness  of  the 
strata,  as  well,  perhaps,  as  the  mineralized 
condition  of  the  coal,  arc  probably  due  to 
igneous  action.  Some  portions  of  the  coal 
precisely  resemble  in  aspect  the  canal  coal 
of  England,  and,  with  the  accompanying 
fossils,  have  been  referred  to  the  tertiary  for- 
mation. 

These  strata  appear  to  rest  upon  a  mas? 
of  agglomerated  rock,  being  but  a  few  feet 
above  the  water  of  the  river ;  and  over  thera 
is  the  escarpment  of  perhaps  eighty  feet, 
rising  gradually  in  the  rear  towards  the 
mountains.  The  wet  and  cold  evening,  and 
near  approach  of  night,  prevented  me  from 
making  any  other  than  a  very  slight  exainia> 
ation. 

The  current  was  now  very  swift,  and  wt 
were  obliged  to  cordelle  the  boat  along  the 


[1141. 

On  the  <M. 

ingular  liole  in 
the  Indians  be< 
ng  these  Bales, 
ind  the  Indians, 
ig  to  send  down 
!  the  region  be. 
hifted  into  its 
icreasing  to  a 
lid  the  sity  be* 
ood  observation 
atellite ;  the  re- 
uto  observation, 
ido  of  the  place, 
luring  the  nieht 
olence,  that  the 
was  angry  and 
with  considera< 
vail  of  the  cape, 
inwilling  to  risk 
nd  I  was  not  dig> 
our  voyage  for 
ler  observations 
y,  giving  for  the 
'09";  and  the 
satellite,  is  122 

day  of  disagreea* 
in  the  afternoon, 
i  of  the  cascades, 
ed  island  on  the 
escending,  I  had 
iver  the  extremi- 
;aring  to  bo  im> 
ig  here  this  after- 
r  part  of  the  es- 
and  forest  trees, 
of  altered  clay 
f  vegetables,  the 
it  the  plants  were 
lese,  the  steins  of 
mineralized,  but 
ill  their  vegetable 
ind  in  this  condi- 
jea  remain.  The 
ompactness  of  the 
the  mineralized 
probably  due  to 
•tions.of  the  coal 
ct  the  canal  coal 
18  accompanying 
;o  the  tertiary  for- 

rest  upon  a  mas? 
ng  but  a  few  feet 
r ;  and  over  them 
haps  eighty  feet, 
rear  towards  the 
cold  evening,  and 
revented  me  from 
ery  slight  examine 

;ry  swift,  and  t 
le  boat  along  the 


1848.1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVK. 


llf 


left  ehore,  where  the  bank  was  cov  ered  with 
Urge  maasea  of  rocks.  Night  overtook  us 
at  uie  npper  end  of  the  island,  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  cascades,  and  we  halted  on 
the  open  point.  In  the  meantime,  the  lighter 
canoos,  paddled  altogether  by  Indians,  had 
passed  a'lcad,  and  were  out  of  sight.  With 
them  was  the  lodge,  which  was  the  only 
shelter  we  had,  witn  most  of  the  bedding  and 

frovisions.  We  shouted,  and  fired  guns; 
ut  all  to  no  purpose,  as  it  was  impossible 
for  them  to  hear  above  the  roar  of  the  river ; 
and  we  remained  all  night  without  shelter, 
the  rain  pouring  down  all  the  time.  The 
old  voyageurs  ^id  not  appear  to  mind  it 
much,  but  covered  themselves  up  as  well  as 
they  could,  and  lay  down  on  the  sand  beach, 
where  they  remained  quiet  until  morning. 
The  rest  of  us  spent  a  rather  miserable 
night ;  and,  to  add  to  our  discomfort,  the  in- 
cessant rain  extinguished  our  fires ;  and  we 
were  glad  when  at  last  daylight  appeared, 
and  we  again  embarked. 

Crossing  to  the  right  bank,  we  cordclled 
the  boat  along  the  shore,  there  being  no 
longer  any  use  for  the  paddles,  and  put  into 
a  little  bay  below  the  upper  rapids.  Hero 
we  found  the  lodge  pitched,  and  about  twen- 
ty Indians  sitting  around  a  blazing  fire  with- 
in, making  a  luxurious  breakfast  with  sal- 
mon, bread,  butter,  sugar,  coftbe,  and  other 
E revisions.  In  the  forest,  on  the  edge  of  the 
igh  bluff  overlooking  the  river,  is  an  Indian 
grave  yard,  consisting  of  a  collection  of 
tombs,  in  each  of  which  were  the  scattered 
bones  of  many  skeletons.  The  tombs  were 
made  of  boards,  which  were  ornamented  with 
many  figures  of  men  and  animals  of  the 
natural  size — from  their  appearance,  consti- 
tuting the  armorial  device  by  which,  among 
Indians,  the  chiefs  are  usually  known. 

The  masses  of  rock  displayed  along  the 
shores  of  the  ravine  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  cascades  are  clearly  volcanic  products. 
Between  this  cove,  which  I  called  Grave- 
yard bay,  and  another  spot  of  smooth  water 
*bove,  on  the  right,  called  Lttders  bay,  shel- 
tered by  a  jutting  point  of  huge  rocky  masses 
at  the  foot  of  the  cascades,  the  shore  along 
the  intervening  rapids  is  lined  with  preci- 
pices of  distinct  strata  of  red  and  variously 
colored  lavas,  in  inclined  positions. 

The  masses  of  rock  forming  the  point  at 
Liiders  bay  consist  of  a  porous  trap,  or 
basalt — a  volcanic  product  of  a  modern 
period.  The  rocks  belong  to  agglomerated 
masses,  which  form  the  immediate  ground  of 
the  cascades,  and  have  been  already  men- 
tioned as  constituting  a  bed  of  cemented  con- 
glomerate rocks  appearing  at  various  places 
along  the  river.  Here  they  are  scattered 
along  thfi  shores,  and  through  the  bed  of  the 
riyer,  wearing  the  character  of  convulsion, 


which  forms  the  impressive  and  promiMol 
feature  of  the  river  at  this  place. 

Wherever  we  came  in  contact  with  tbs 
rocks  of  these  mountains,  we  found  them 
volcanic,  which  is  probably  the  character  ot 
the  range  ;  and  at  tnis  time,  two  of  the  great 
snowy  cones.  Mount  Regnier  and  Si  Hel- 
ens, were  in  action.  On  the  23d  of  the  pre- 
ceding November,  St.  Helens  had  scattered 
its  ashes,  like  a  light  fall  of  snow,  over  the 
Dalles  of  the  Columbia,  60  miles  distant. 
A  specimen  of  these  ashes  was  given  to  me 
by  Mr.  Brewer,  one  of  the  clergymen  at  the 
Dalles. 

The  lofty  range  of  the  Cascade  mountaina 
forms  a  distinct  boundary  between  the  oppo- 
site climates  of  the  regions  along  its  western 
and  eastern  bases.  On  the  west,  they  pre- 
sent a  barrier  to  the  clouds  of  fog  and  rain 
which  roll  up  from  the  Pacific  ocean  and 
beat  against  their  rugged  sides,  forming  the 
rainy  season  of  the  winter  in  the  country 
along  the  coast.  Into  the  brighter  skies  of 
the  region  along  their  eastern  base,  this 
rainy  winter  never  penetrates  ;  and  at  the 
Dalles  of  the  Columoia  the  rainv  season  is 
unknown,  the  brief  winter  being  limited  to  a 
period  of  about  two  months,  during  which 
the  earth  is  covered  with  the  slight  snows  of 
a  climate  remarkably  mild  for  so  high  a  lati- 
tude. The  Cascade  range  has  an  average 
distance  of  about  130  miles  from  the  sea 
coast.  It  extends  far  both  north  and  south 
of  the  Columbia,  and  is  indicated  to  the  dis- 
tant observer,  both  in  course  and  position,  by 
the  lofty  volcanic  peaks  which  rise  out  of  it, 
and  which  are  visible  to  an  immense  dis- 
tance. 

During  several  days  of  constant  rain,  it 
kept  our  whole  force  laboriously  employed 
in  getting  our  barge  and  canoes  to  the  upper 
end  of  the  cascades.  The  portage  ground 
was  occupied  by  emigrant  families;  their 
thin  and  insufficient  clothing,  bare-headed 
and  bare-footed  children,  attesting  the  lenglh 
of  their  journey,  and  showing  that  they  had, 
in  many  instances,  set  out  without  a  due 
preparation  of  what  was  indispensable. 

A  gentleman  named  LUders,  a  botanist 
from  the  city  of  Hamburg,  arrived  at  the  bay 
I  have  called  by  his  name  while  we  were 
occupied  in  bringing  up  the  boats.  I  was 
delighted  to  meet  at  such  a  place  a  man  of 
kindred  pursuits ;  but  we  had  only  the  plea- 
sure of  a  brief  conversation,  as  his  canoe, 
under  the  guidance  of  two  Indians,  was 
about  to  run  the  rapids  ;  and  I  could  not  en- 
joy the  satisfaction  of  rpgaling  him  with  a 
breakfast,  wluch,  fiftor  his  recent  journey, 
would  have  boon  an  extraordinary  luxury. 
All  of  his  few  iii.sii  undents  and  baggage  were 
in  the  canoe,  and  he  hurried  around  by  land 
,  to  meet  it  at  tlie  Grave-yard  bay ;  but  h* 


11« 


CAPT.  FRKMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[18411 


wu  scarcely  out  of  iiifflit,  when,  by  the  care- 
leisnesB  of  the  Indians,  the  Umt  waM  drawn 
into  the  middt  of  tho  rapid«,  and  ((liincod 
down  the  river,  bottom  up,  with  the  load  of 
everythindf  it  contained.  In  tho  natural 
concern  Ifelt  for  his  mirifortune,  I  gave  to 
tlie  little  cove  the  name  of  Liiderfl  bay. 

November  16. — We  continued  to-Jay  our 
work  at  the  portage. 

About  noon,  the  two  barsca  of  the  cxpreaa 
from  Montreal  arrived  at  the  upper  portage 
landinff,  which,  for  large  boats,  la  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  river.  They  were  a  fine- 
looking  crew,  and  among  them  I  remarked 
a  fresn-looking  woman  and  her  daughter, 
emigrants  from  Canada.  It  was  satisfactory 
to  see  the  order  and  speed  with  which  these 
experienced  watermen  efl^cted  the  portage, 
and  passed  their  boats  over  the  cascades. 
They  had  arrived  at  noon,  and  in  the  evening 
they  expected  to  reach  Vancouver.  These 
bateauB  carry  the  express  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  to  the  highest  navij^ble  point 
of  the  north  fork  of  the  Columbia,  whence 
it  is  carried  by  an  overland  party  to  lake 
Winipec,  where  it  is  divided— part  going  to 
Montreal,  and  part  to  Hudson  Bay.  Thus 
a  regular  communication  is  kept  up  between 
three  very  remote  points. 

The  Canadian  emigrants  were  much  cha- 
grined at  the  change  of  climate,  and  in- 
lormed  me  that,  only  a  few  miles  above,  they 
had  lefl  a  country  of  bri^rht  blue  sky  and  a 
shining  sun.  The  next  morning  the  upper 
parts  of  the  mountains  which  directly  over- 
look the  cascades  were  white  with  the  fresh- 
ly fallen  snow,  while  it  continued  to  rain 
steadily  below. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  finished  tho  port- 
age, and,  embarking  again,  moved  a  little 
distance  up  the  right  bank,  in  order  to  clear 
the  smaller  rapids  of  the  cascades,  and  have 
a  smooth  river  for  the  next  morning.  Though 
we  made  but  a  few  miles,  the  weather  im- 
proved immediately;  and  though  the  rainy 
country  and  the  cloudy  mountains  were  close 
behind,  before  us  was  the  bright  sky ;  so  dis- 
tinctly is  climate  here  marked  by  a  moun- 
lain  boundary. 

November  17. — We  had  to-day  an  oppor- 
tunity \o  complete  tho  sketch  of  that  por- 
tion of  he  river  down  which  we  had  come 
by  night. 

Many  places  occur  along  the  river,  where 
the  stumps,  or  rather  portions  of  the  trunks 
of  pine  trees,  are  standing  along  the  shore, 
ana  in  the  water,  where  they  may  be  seen 
at  a  conside  able  depth  below  the  surface, 
in  the  beauJfuHv  clear  water  These  col- 
lections of  ».j:u.  '("es  pre  called  on  the  Co- 
lumbia the  submerged  jorest,  aid  are  sup- 
posed to  )  av9  been  ".reated  by  tho  efSjcts  of 
some  convuL-ion  \\  ich  formed  tl.e  cascades, 
and  which,  oy  damming  up  the  river,  placed 


thr^n  trees  under  water  and  destroyed  them, 
nut  I  venture  to  presume  that  the  cascade! 
arc  older  than  tho  trees  ;  and  as  those  subi 
merged  forests  occur  at  five  or  six  places 
along  the  river,  I  had  an  opportunity  to  sa- 
tisfy myself  that  they  have  been  formed  bj 
iinmeni^e  land  HJidea  from  the  mountains, 
which  here  closely  shut  in  the  riv>^r,  and 
which  brought  down  with  them  into  the 
river  the  pines  of  the  mountain.  At  ons 
place,  on  tne  right  bank,  I  remarked  a  plaiM 
where  a  portion  of  one  of  thene  slides  teem- 
ed to  have  planted  itself,  with  all  the  eveN 
green  foliage,  and  the  vegetation  of  the 
neighboring  hill,  directly  amidst  the  falling 
anclyellow  leaves  of  the  river  trees.  It  oc- 
curred to  me  that  this  would  have  been  a 
beautiful  illustration  to  the  eye  of  a  botanist. 

Following  the  course  of  a  slide,  which 
was  very  plainly  marked  along  the  moun- 
tain,  I  found  that  in  tho  interior  parts  the 
trees  wore  in  their  usual  erect  position ;  but 
at  the  extremity  of  the  slide  they  wore  rock- 
ed about,  and  thrown  into  a  confusion  of  in- 
clinations. 

About  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  pass- 
ed a  sandy  bar  in  the  river,  whence  we  had 
an  unexpected  view  of  Mount  Hood,  bearing 
directly  south  by  compass. 

During  the  day  we  used  oar  and  sail,  and 
at  night  had  again  a  delightful  camping 
ground,  and  a  dry  place  to  sleep  upon. 

November  18. — The  day  again  was  pleas* 
ant  and  bright.  At  10  o  clock  we  passed  a 
rock  island,  on  the  r.ght  shore  of  the  river, 
which  the  Indians  use  as  burial  ground ;  and 
halting  for  a  short  time,  about  an  hour  after- 
wards, at  the  village  of  our  Indian  friends, 
early  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  again  at 
the  Dalles. 

Carson  had  removed  the  camp  up  the  river 
a  little  nearer  to  the  hills,  where  the  animals 
had  better  grass.  We  found  everything  in 
good  order,  and  arrived  just  in  time  to  par- 
take of  an  excellent  roast  of  California  beef. 
My  friend,  Mr.  Gilpin,  had  arrived  in  ad- 
vance of  tho  party.  His  object  in  visiting 
this  country  had  been  to  obtain  correct  in- 
formation of  the  Walahmette  settlements; 
and  he  had  reached  this  point  in  his  journey, 
highly  pleased  with  the  country  over  which 
he  liatl  travelled,  and  with  invigorated 
health.  On  the  fnllow'ng  J'\  ; .  continued 
his  journey,  in  oui  returning  boats,  to  Van- 
couver. 

The  camp  was  now  occupied  in  making;' 
the  necessary  preparations  for  our  homewaro 
journey,  which,  though  homeward,  contem- 
plated a  new  route,  and  a  great  circuit  to 
the  south  and  southeast,  ana  the  exploration 
of  the  Great  Basin  between  the  Rocky  mouu- 
taias  and  the  Sierra  Nevada.  Three  principal 
objects  were  indicated,  by  report  or  by  maps, 
as  being  on  this  route ;  the  character  or  ex* 


[18411 

eitroyed  them, 
t  the  cancftdei 
as  these  aub> 
or  six  placM 
ortiinity  to  ta- 
cen  formod  by 
ho  mniintaiiu, 
the  riv>^r,  and 
them  into  the 
tain.  At  one 
narked  a  placA 
lie  slides  ^.eem- 
1  all  the  eve^ 
etation  of  the 
dst  the  falling 
r  trees.  It  oc- 
d  have  been  a 
e  of  a  botanist, 
a  slide,  which 
)n^  the  moun< 
erior  parts  the 
it  position ;  but 
hey  were  rock- 
ionfusion  of  in- 

rnoon  we  pas*, 
whence  we  had 
t  Hood,  bearing 

ar  and  sail,  and 
^htful  camping 
eep  upon, 
gam  was  pleas, 
ck  we  passed  a 
ire  of  the  river, 
ial  ground ;  and 
t  an  hour  after- 
Indian  friends, 
rrived  again  at 

imp  up  the  river 
lere  the  animals 
i  everything  in 

in  time  to  par- 
California  beef. 

arrived  in  ad- 
}ject  in  visiting 
tain  correct  in- 
tte  settlements; 
it  in  his  journey, 
ntry  over  which 
ith    invigorated 

'V  ;-  continued 
g  boats,  to  Van. 

pied  in  making' 
jr  our  homewaro 
neward,  conteni* 

rreat  circuit  to 
the  exploration 
lie  Rocky  mouu- 
Three  principal 
port  or  by  mapa, 
character  or  ex* 


IMI.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NAKRATIVE. 


•ft 


ktencfl  of  which  I  wished  to  asrortuin,  and 
which  I  assumed  as  landmarks,  or  loading 

Coints,  on  the  projected  line  of  return.  The 
rst  of  these  pointH  was  the  Tlamalh  lake, 
on  the  table-land  between  the  head  of  Fall 
river,  which  comes  to  the  Columbia,  and  *ho 
Sacramento,  which  goes  to  the  bay  of  ban 
Fran'"'  o;  and  from  which  lake  a  river  of 
the  H.wuo  name  makes  its  way  weHtwardly 
direct  to  the  ocean.  This  lake  and  river  art' 
often  called  Klamct,  but  I  have  clinsen  to 
write  its  name  according  to  the  Indian  nro- 
nunciation.  The  position  of  this  lake,  on 
the  line  of  inland  communication  between 
Oregon  and  California;  its  proximity  to  the 
demarcation  boundary  of  latitude  42° ;  its 
imputed  double  character  of  lake,  or  meadow, 
according  to  the  season  of  the  year ;  and  the 
hosti!o  and  warlike  character  attributed  to 
tbft  Ii.ilians  about  it— all  made  it  a  desirable 
abject  10  /init  and  examine.  From  this  lake 
our  course  was  intended  to  be  about  south- 
east, to  a  reported  lake  called  Mary's,  at 
9omo  .lays'  journey  in  the  Great  Basin ;  and 
thence,  ntill  on  southeast,  to  the  reputed  Btte- 
naventura  river,  which  has  had  a  place  in 
so  many  maps,  and  countenanced  the  belief 
of  the  existence  of  a  great  river  flowing  from 
the  Rocky  mountains  to  the  bay  o?  San 
Francisco.  From  the  Buenaventura  the 
nexi  point  was  intended  to  be  in  that  section 
of  the  Rocky  mountains  which  includes  the 
heads  of  Arkansas  river,  and  of  the  opposite 
waters  of  the  Californian  gulf;  and  tnence 
down  the  Arkansas  to  Bent's  fort,  and  home. 
This  was  our  projected  line  of  return — a 
great  part  of  it  absolutely  new  to  geographi- 
cal, botanical,  and  geological  science — and 
the  subject  of  reports  in  relation  to  lakes, 
rivers,  deserts,  and  savages  hardly  above  the 
condition  of  mere  wild  animals,  which  in- 
flamed desire  to  know  what  this  terra  in- 
coenita  really  contained. 

It  was  a  serious  enterprise,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  winter,  to  undertake  the  tra- 
verse of  such  a  region,  and  with  a  party 
eonsisting  only  of  twenty-five  persons,  and 
they  of  many  nations — American,  French, 
(ierman,  Canadian,  Indian,  and  colored — 
and  most  of  them  young,  several  being  un- 
der twenty-one  years  of  age.  All  knew  that 
a  strange  country  was  to  be  explored,  and 
ilnngers  and  hard.ships  to  be  encountered  ; 
but  no  one  blenched  at  the  prospect.  On 
the  contrary,  coiirajre  and  confidence  ani- 
mated the  whole  party.  Cheerfulness,  rea- 
diness, subordination,  prompt  obedience,  cha- 
racterized all  ;  nor  'iid  any  extremity  of 
peril  and  privation,  t*.  which  we  were  after- 
wards exposed,  over  liclio,  or  derogate  from, 
the  fine  spirit  if  this  brave  arul  generous 
eommencemei  The  courpo  of  the  narra- 
tive will  show  at  what  pdim  ,h1  for  wliat 
TBJUons,  we  were  prevented  Irom  the     om- 


plote  execution  of  this  plan,  after 
made  considerable  pM^rosa  upon  it, and  hev 
wo  wcro  forced  by  dcert  plainn  and  mnds- 
tain  mngeH,  anil  deep  snows,  far  \o  tks 
south,  and  near  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  and 
along  the  western  base  of  the  Sierra  Nova- 
da  ;  where,  indeed,  a  new  and  ample  field  of 
e.\|>1oration  opened   itself  lieforc  us.      For 

the  pr« lit,  wo  must  follow  the  narrative, 

which  will  lirxt  lead  us  south  along  the  val- 
ley of  Fall  river,  and  the  eastern  base  of  the 
Cascu<i(<  range,  to  the  Tlamath  lake,  from 
which,  or  Its  margin,  three  rivers  go  in  three 
directions — one  west,  to  the  ocean  ;  another 
north,  to  the  Columbia ;  th@  third  south,  to 
California. 

For  the  support  of  the  party,  I  had  pro- 
vided at  Vancouver  a  Bup|)ly  of  provisiona 
for  not  less  than  throo  months,  consisting 

ttrincipally  of  flour,  peas,  and  tallow — the 
atter  being  used  in  cooking ;  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  this,  I  had  purchased  at  the  mission 
some  California  cattle,  whicli  were  to  be 
driven  on  the  hoof.  We  had  104  mules  and 
horses — part  of  the  latter  procured  from  the 
Indians  about  the  mission ;  and  for  the  sus- 
tenance of  which,  our  reliance  was  upon 
the  grass  which  we  should  find,  and  the  aoft 
porous  wood,  which  was  to  be  substituted 
when  there  was  none. 

Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  with  Mr.  Tulbot  and  the 
remainder  of  the  party,  arrived  on  the  21st; 
and  the  camp  was  now  closely  engaged  in 
the  labor  of  preparation.  Mr.  Perkins  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  as  a  guide  to  the  Tla- 
math lake  two  Indians — one  of  whom  had 
been  there,  and  bore  the  marks  of  several 
wounds  he  had  received  from  some  of  the 
Indians  in  the  neighborhood  ;  and  the  other 
went  along  for  company.  In  order  to  ena- 
ble us  to  obtain  horses,  he  lispatched  men. 
sengers  to  the  various  Indian  villages  in  the 
neighborhood,  informing  them  that  we  were 
desirous  to  purchase,  and  appointing  a  day 
for  them  to  bring  them  in. 

We  made,  in  the  mean  time,  several 
excursions  in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  Perkins 
walked  with  Mr.  Preuss  and  myself  to  the 
heights,  about  nine  miles  distant,  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  river,  whence,  in  fine 
weather,  an  extensive  view  rnay  be  had  ove* 
th(^  mountains,  including  seven  great  peaks 
ol  ilie  Cascade  range;  but  clouds,  on  thie 
occasion,  destroyed  the  anticipated  pleasure, 
and  we  obtained  bearings  only  to  three  that 
were  visible  :  Mount  Regnier,  St.  Helens, 
and  Mount  Hood.  On  the  heights,  about 
one  mile  south  of  the  mission,  a  very  fine 
view  may  be  had  of  Mount  Hood  and  St. 
Helens.  In  order  to  determine  their  posi- 
tion with  as  much  accuracy  as  possible,  the 
angular  distances  of  the  peaks  were  measur- 
ed with  the  sextant,  at  diflferent  fixed  poiaM 
from  which  they  could  be  seen. 


■"*^;. 


118 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[isu. 


The  Indians  brought  in  their  horses  at 
the  appointed  time,  and  we  succeeded  in 
•btaining  a  number  in  exchange  for  goods ; 
bat  they  were  relatively  much  higher  here, 
where  goods  are  plenty  and  at  moderate 
prices,  than  we  had  found  them  in  the  more 
•astern  part  of  our  voyage.  Several  of  the 
Indians  inquired  very  anxiously  to  know  if 
we  had  any  dollars ;   and  the  horses  we 

frocured  were  much  fewer  in  number  than 
had  desired,  and  of  thin,  inferior  quality  ; 
the  oldest  and  poorest  being  those  that 
were  sold  to  us.  These  horses,  as  ever  in 
our  journey  you  will  have  occasion  to  re- 
mark, are  valuable  for  hardihood  and  great 
endurance. 

November  -H. — At  this  place  one  of  the 
men  was  dis-;harged  ;  and  at  the  request  of 
Mr  Perkins,  a  Chinook  Indian,  a  lad  of 
nineteen,  who  was  extremely  desirous  to 
"  see  the  whites,"  and  make  some  acquaint- 
ance with  oui  institutions,  was  received  into 
the  party,  umler  my  special  charge,  with 
the  understaniiing  that  I  would  again  re- 
turn him  to  his  friends.  He  had  liv<  1  for 
some  time  'v\  tlie  household  of  Mr.  Perkins, 
and  spoke  a  few  words  of  the  English  lan- 
guage. 

November  25. — We  were  all  up  early,  in 
the  excitement  of  turning  towards  home. 
The  stars  were  brilliant,  and  the  morning 
eoW — the  thermometer  at  daylight  26°. 

Our  prepar.itions  had  been  fully  com- 
pleted, and  to-day  we  commenced  our  jour- 
ney. The  little  wagon  which  had  hitherto 
earried  the  instruments  I  judged  it  necessary 
to  abandon ;  and  it  was  accordingly  pre- 
sented to  the  mission.  In  all  our  long  trav- 
elling, it  had  never  been  overturned  or  in- 
jured by  any  accident  of  the  road  ;  and  the 
only  things  broken  were  the  glass  lamps,  and 
one  of  the  front  panels,  which  had  been 
kicked  out  by  an  unruly  Indian  horse.  The 
howitzer  was  the  only  wheeled  carriage  now 
remaining.  We  started  about  noon,  when 
the  weather  had  become  disagreeably  cold, 
with  flurries  of  snow.  Our  friend  Mr.  Per- 
kins, whose  kindness  had  been  active  and  ef- 
ficient during  our  stay,  accompanied  us  sev- 
eral miles  on  our  road  ;  when  he  bade  us 
farewell,  and  consigned  us  to  the  care  of 
our  guides.  Ascending  to  the  uplands  i)e- 
yond  the  southern  fork  of  the  Tinanens 
creek,  we  found  the  snow  lying  on  tlio 
ground  in  frequent  patches,  although  tiie 
pasture  appeared  good,  and  the  new  hImiI 
grass  was  fresli  and  green.  Wo  tiMvelled 
over  high,  hilly  land,  and  c'ncani|io(l  0,1  ;i 
little  branch  of  Tinanens  creek,  where  i.\cxv. 
were  good  grass  and  tunbor.  The  southern 
bank  was  covered  with  snow,  ^vlucli  w:is 
•cattored  ove.-  the  ooiioni  .  and  the  little 
creek,  its  borders  lined  witti  ice,  had  a  chilly 
tad  wintry  look.     A  number  of  Indians  had 


accompanied  us  so  far  on  our  road,  and  re- 
mained with  us  during  the  night.  Two  bad- 
looking  fellows,  who  were  detected  in  steal- 
ing, were  tied  and  laid  before  the  fire,  and 
guard  mounted  over  them  during  the  night. 
The  night  was  cold,  and  partially  clear. 

November  26. — The  morning  was  cloudy 
and  misty,  and  but  a  few  stars  visible.  Dur- 
ing the  night  water  froze  in  the  tents,  and 
at  sunrise  the  thermometer  was  at  20*^.  Left 
camp  at  10  o'clock,  the  road  leading  along 
tributaries  of  the  Tinanens,  and  being,  so 
far,  very  good.  We  turned  to  the  right  at 
the  fork  of  the  trail,  ascending  by  a  steep 
ascent  along  a  spur  to  the  dividing  grounds 
between  this  stream  and  the  waters  of  Fall 
river.  The  creeks  we  had  passed  were 
timbered  principally  with  oak  and  other  de- 
ciduous trees.  Snow  lies  everywhere  here 
on  the  ground,  and  we  had  a  slight  fall  dur- 
ing the  morning ;  but  towards  noon  the  gray 
sky  yielded  to  a  bright  sun.  This  morning 
we  had  a  grand  view  of  St.  Helens  and 
Regnier  :  the  latter  appeared  of  a  conical 
form,  and  very  lofty,  leading  the  eye  far  up 
into  the  sky.  The  line  of  the  timbered 
country  is  very  distinctly  marked  here,  the 
'tare  hills  making  with  it  a  remarkable  con- 
trast. The  summit  of  the  ridge  cimmanded 
a  fine  view  of  the  Taih  prairie,  and  the 
stream  running  through  it,  which  is  a  tribu- 
tary to  the  Fall  river,  the  chasm  of  whick 
is  visible  to  the  right.  A  steep  descent  of 
a  mountain  hill  brought  us  down  into  the 
valley,  and  we  encamped  on  the  stream  af- 
ter dark,  guided  by  the  light  of  fires,  which 
some  naked  Indians  belonging  to  a  village 
on  the  opposite  side  were  kindling  for  us  on 
the  bank.  This  is  a  large  branch  of  the 
Fall  river.  There  was  a  broad  band  of 
thick  ice  some  fifteen  feet  wide  on  either 
bank,  and  the  river  current  is  swift  and 
bold.  Th«  night  was  cold  and  clear,  and 
we  made  our  astronomical  observation  thiB 
evening  with  the  thermometer  at  20°. 

In  anticipation  of  coming  hardship,  and 
to  spare  our  horses,  there  was  much  walk- 
ing done  to-day ;  and  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  and 
myself  made  the  day's  journey  on  toot. 
Somewhere  near  the  mouth  of  this  stream 
are  the  falls  from  which  the  river  takes  its 
name. 

November  27. — A  fine  view  of  Mouni 
Hood  this  morning ;  a  rose-colored  mass  of 
snow,  bearing  S.  85"  W.  by  compass.  The 
faky  IS  clear,  and  the  air  cold  ;  the  thermom- 
eifi-  2 ^.5  below  zero;  the  trees  and  bushes 
H-liiU'nng  white,  and  the  rapid  stream  filled 
wuh  lloating  ice. 

S/ilctsi  and  the  White  Crane,  two  Indian 
cliiufs  who  had  accouipanied  us  thus  far, 
look  their  leave,  ami  wm  resiniicJ  our  jour- 
ney at  10  o'clock.  We  ascended  by  a  steep 
hill  from  the  river  bottom,  which  is  san(lf, 


[184IL 

road,  and  re- 
ght.  Two  bad. 
tected  in  steal- 
re  the  fire,  and 
ring  the  night 
iaily  clear, 
ing  was  cloudy 
■8  visible.  Dur- 

the  tents,  and 
as  at  20°.  Left 

leading  along 

and  being,  so 
to  the  rigkt  at 
ing  by  a  steep 
viding  grounds 
waters  of  Fall 
1  passed  were 
c  and  other  de- 
erywhere  here 
slight  fall  dur- 
8  noon  the  gray 

This  morning 
;t.  Helens  and 
d  of  a  conical 

the  eye  far  up 

the  timbered 
irked  here,  the 
cmarkable  con- 
Ige  ccmmanded 
ruidc,  and  the 
^hich  is  a  tribu- 
hasm  of  which 
teep  descent  of 
down  into  the 
1  the  stream  af- 
;  of  fires,  which 
ing  to  a  village 
i\dling  for  us  on 
!  branch  of  the 
broad  band  of 
wide  on  either 
it  is  swift  and 
and  clear,  and 
observation  this 
er  at  20°. 
r  hardship,  and 
'as  much  walk- 
Pitzpatrick  and 
urney  on  toot 
L  of  this  stream 
river  takes  its 

'iew  of  Mouni 
colored  mass  of 
compass.  The 
;  the  thermom- 
ees  and  bushes 
)id  stream  filled 

ant,  two  Indian 
3d  us  llms  far, 
mimed  our  jour- 
nded  by  a  steep 
which  is  san4]r, 


1«49.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


119 


to  a  Tolcanio  plain,  around  which  lofty  hills 
sweep  in  a  regular  form.  It  is  cut  up  by 
gullies  of  basaltic  rock,  escarpments  of 
which  appear  everywhere  in  the  hills. 
This  plain  is  called  the  Taih  prairie,  and  is 
sprinkled  with  some  scattered  pines.  The 
country  is  now  far  more  interesting  to  a 
traveller  than  the  route  along  the  Snake 
and  Columbia  rivers.  To  our  right  we  had 
always  the  mountains,  from  the  midst  of 
whose  dark  pine  forests  the  isolated  snowy 
peaks  were  looking  out  like  giants.  They 
served  us  for  grand  beacons  to  show  the 
rate  at  which  we  advanced  in  our  journey. 
Mount  Hood  was  already  becoming  an  old 
acquaintance,  and,  when  we  ascended  the 
prairie,  we  obtained  a  bearing  to  Mount  Jef- 
ferson, S.  23°  W.  The  Indian  superstition 
has  peopled  these  lofty  peaks  with  evil  spir- 
its, and  they  have  never  yet  known  the 
tread  of  a  human  foot.  Sternly  drawn 
against  the  sky,  they  look  so  high  and  steep, 
ao  snowy  and  rocky,  that  it  would  appear 
almost  impossible  to  climb  them ;  but  still  a 
trial  would  have  its  attractions  for  the  ad- 
venturous traveller.  A  small  trail  takes  off 
through  the  prairie,  towards  a  low  point  in 
the  range,  and  perhaps  there  is  here  a  pass 
into  the  Walahmette  valley.  Crossing  the 
plain,  we  descended  by  a  rocky  hill  into  the 
bed  of  a  tributary  of  Fall  river,  and  made 
an  early  encampment.  The  water  was  in 
holes,  and  froaen  over,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  cut  through  the  ice  for  the  animals  to 
drink.  An  ox,  which  was  rather  trou- 
blesome to  drive,  was  killed  here  for 
food. 

The  evening  was  fine,  the  sky  being  very 
clear,  and  I  obtained  an  immersion  of  the 
third  satellite,  with  a  good  observation  of  an 
emersion  of  the  first ;  the  latter  of  which 
gives  for  the  longitude,  131°  02'  43"  ;  the 
latitude,  by  observation,  being  45°  06'  45  ". 
The  night  was  cold — the  thermometer  dur- 
ing the  observations  standing  at  9°. 

November  28. — The  sky  was  clear  in  the 
morning,  but  suddenly  clouded  over,  and  at 
sunrise  began  to  snow,  with  the  thermome- 
ter at  18°. 

We  traversed  a  broken  high  country, 
partly  timbered  with  pine,  and  about  noon 
crossed  a  mouniainous  ridge,  in  which,  from 
the  rock  occasionally  displayed,  the  forma- 
tion consists  of  compact  lava.  Frenuent 
tracks  of  elk  were  visible  in  the  snow.  On 
our  right,  in  the  afternoon,  a  high  plain, 
partially  covered  with  pine,  extended  about 
ten  miles,  to  the  foot  of  the  Cascade  moun- 
tains. 

At  evening  we  encamped  in  a  basin  nar- 
rowly surrounded  by  rocky  hills,  after  a 
day's  juurnoy  of  21  milea.  The  surround- 
ing rocks  are  either  volcanic  products,  or 
kif  ■  r  altered  by  volcanic  action,  consisting 


of   quartz    and     reddish-colored     silioiowi 
masses. 

November  29. — We  emerged  from  the 
basin,  by  a  narrow  pass,  upon  a  considerablo 
branch  of  Fall  river,  running  to  the  east 
ward  through  a  narrow  valley.  The  trail, 
descending  this  stream,  brought  us  to  a  lo 
cality  of  hot  springs,  which  were  on  either 
bank.  Those  on  the  left,  which  were 
formed  into  deep  handsome  basins,  would 
have  been  delightful  baths,  if  the  outer  air 
had  not  been  so  keen,  the  thermometer  in 
these  being  at  89°.  "There  were  others,  on 
the  opposite  side,  at  the  foot  of  an  escarp- 
ment, in  which  the  temperature  of  the  water 
was  134°.  These  waters  deposited  around 
the  spring  a  brecciated  mass  of  quartz  and 
feldspar,  much  of  it  of  a  reddish  color. 

We  crossed  the  stream  here,  and  ascend- 
ed again  to  a  high  plain,  from  an  elevated 
point  of  which  we  obtained  a  view  of  six 
of  the  great  peaks — Mount  Jefferson,  follow- 
ed to  the  southward  by  two  others  of  the 
same  class  ;  and  succeeding,  at  a  still  great- 
er distance  to  the  southward,  were  three 
other  lower  peaks,  clustering  together  in  a 
branch  ridge.  These,  like  the  great  peaks, 
were  snowy  masses,  secondary  only  to 
them ;  and,  from  the  best  examination  our 
time  permitted,  we  are  inclined  to  believe 
that  the  range  to  which  they  belong  is  a 
branch  from  the  great  chain  which  here 
bears  to  the  westward.  The  trail  during 
the  remainder  of  the  day  followed  near  to 
the  large  stream  on  the  left,  which  was  con- 
tinuously walled  in  between  high  rocky 
banks.  We  halted  for  the  night  on  a  little 
by-stream. 

November  30. — Our  journey  to-day  was 
short.  Passing  over  a  high  plain,  on  which 
were  scattered  cedars,  with  frequent  beds 
of  volcanic  rock  in  fragments  interspersed 
among  the  grassy  grounds,  we  arrived  sud- 
denly on  the  verge  of  the  steep  and  rocky 
descent  to  the  valley  of  the  stream  we  had 
been  following,  and  which  here  ran  directly 
across  our  path,  emerging  from  the  moun- 
tains on  the  right.  You  will  remark  that 
the  country  is  abundantly  watered  with  large 
streams,  which  pour  down  from  the  neigh- 
boring range. 

These  streams  are  characterized  by  the 
n;irrow  and  chasm-like  valleys  in  which 
they  run,  generally  sunk  a  thousand  feet  be- 
low the  plain.  At  the  verge  of  this  plain, 
they  frequently  commence  in  vertical  preci- 
pices of  basaltic  rock,  and  which  leave  only 
casual  places  at  which  they  can  be  entered 
by  horses.  The  road  across  the  country, 
which  would  otherwise  be  very  good,  is 
rendered  impracticable  for  wagons  by  these 
streams.  There  is  another  trail  among  the 
mountains,  usually  followed  in  the  summer, 
which  the  snows  now  compelled  us  to  avoid  * 


m 


CAPT.  TRBMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


Dma 


•ml  I  have  reason  to  belieTe  that  thia,  pass- 
ing nearer  the  heads  of  these  streams, 
WQuId  afford  a  much  better  road. 

At  such  places,  the  gun  carriage  was  un- 
linbered,  and  separately  descended  by  hand. 
Continuing  a  few  miles  up  the  left  bank  of 
Uie  river,  we  encamped  early  in  an  open 
bottom  among  the  pines,  a  short  distance  be- 
low a  lodge  of  Indians.  Here,  along  the 
river  the  bluffs  present  escarpments  seven 
or  eight  hundred  feet  in  height,  containing 
strata  of  a  very  fine  porcelain  clay,  overlaid, 
at  the  heirjht  of  about  five  hundred  feet,  by 
a  massive  stratum  of  compact  basalt  one 
hundred  feet  in  thickness,  which  again  is 
succeeded  above  by  other  strata  of  volcanic 
rocks.  The  clay  strata  are  variously  color- 
ed, some  of  them  very  nearly  as  white  as 
chalk,  and  very  fine  grained.  Specimens 
brought  from  these  have  been  subjected  to 
microscopical  examination  by  Professor 
Bailey,  of  West  Point,  and  are  considered  by 
him  to  cuustitute  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
depositcs  of  fiuviatile  infusoria  on  record. 
While  they  abound  in  genera  and  species 
which  are  c-oaimon  in  fresh  water,  but  which 
rarely  thrive  where  the  water  is  even  brack- 
ish, not  one  decidedly  marine  form  is  to  be 
found  among  th(Mn ;  and  their  fresii-watcr 
origin  is  therefore  beyond  a  doubt.  It  is 
equally  certain  that  they  lived  and  died  at 
the  situation  where  they  were  found,  as  they 
could  scarcely  have  been  transported  by 
running  waters  without  an  admixture  of 
sandy  particles ;  from  which,  however,  they 
are  remarkably  free.  Fossil  infusoria  of  a 
fresh-water  origin  had  been  previously  de- 
tected by  Mr.  Bailey  in  specimens  brought 
by  Mr.  James  D.  Dana  from  the  tertiary 
formation  of  Oregon.  Most  of  the  species 
in  those  specimens  differed  so  much  from 
those  now  living  and  known,  that  he  was  led 
to  infer  that  they  might  belong  to  extinct 
species,  and  considered  them  also  as  afford- 
ing proof  of  an  alternation,  in  the  formation 
from  which  they  were  obtained,  of  fresh 
and  salt  water  deposites,  which,  common 
enough  in  Europe,  had  not  hitherto  been 
noticed  in  the  United  States.  Coming  evi- 
dently from  a  locality  entirely  different,  our 
specimens  show  very  few  species  in  com- 
mon with  those  brought  by  Mr.  Dana,  but 
bear  a  much  closer  resemblance  to  those  in- 
habiting the  northeastern  States.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  they  are  from  a  more  recent  de- 
posite ;  but  the  presence  of  a  few  remark- 
able forms  which  are  common  to  the  two 
localities  renders  it  more  probable  that  there 
is  no  great  difference  in  their  age. 

I  obtained  here  a  good  observation  of  an 
emersion  of  the  second  satellite  ;  but  clouds, 
which  rapidly  overspread  the  sky,  prevented 
the  usual  number  of  observations.  Those 
which  we  succeeded  in  obtaining  are,  how- 


ever, good  ;  and  give  for  the  latituds  of  tha 
place  44°  35'  23",  and  for  the  longitud* 
from  the  satellite  131°  10'  35". 

December  I. — A  short  distance  above  our 
encampment,  we  crossed  this  river,  which 
was  thickly  lined  along  its  banks  with  ice 
In  common  with  all  these  mountain  streams 
the  water  was  very  clear,  and  the  current 
swift.  It  was  not  everywhere  fordable, 
and  the  water  was  three  or  four  feet  deep  at 
our  crossing,  and  perhaps  a  hundred  feet 
wide.  As  was  frequently  the  case  at  such 
places,  one  of  the  mules  got  his  pack,  con- 
sisting of  sugar,  thoroughly  wet,  and  turned 
into  molasses.  One  of  the  guides  informed 
me  that  this  was  a  "  salmon  water,"  and 
pointed  out  several  ingeniously-contrived 
places  to  catch  the  fish  ;  among  the  pines  in 
the  bottom  I  saw  an  immense  one,  about 
twelve  feet  in  diameter.  A  steep  ascent 
from  the  opposite  bank  delayed  us  again ; 
and  as,  by  the  information  of  our  guides, 
grass  would  soon  become  very  scarce,  we 
encamped  on  the  height  of  land,  in  a  marshy 
place  among  the  pines,  where  there  was  an 
abundance  of  grass.  We  found  here  a  single 
Nez  Perce  family,  who  had  a  very  handsome 
horse  in  their  drove,  which  we  endeavor- 
ed to  obtain  in  exchange  for  a  good  cow ; 
hut  the  man  "  had  two  hearts,"  or,  rather, 
he  had  one  and  his  wife  had  another  :  she 
wanted  the  cow,  but  he  loved  the  horse  too 
much  to  part  with  it.  Tiiese  people  attach 
fjreat  value  to  cattle,  with  which  they  are 
endeavoring  to  supply  themselves. 

December  2. — In  the  first  rays  of  the  sun, 
the  mountain  peaks  this  morning  presented 
a  beautiful  appearance,  the  snow  being  en- 
tirely covered  with  a  hue  of  rosy  gold.  We 
travelled  to-day  over  a  very  stony,  elevated 
plain,  about  which  were  scattered  cedar  and 
pine,  and  encamped  on  another  large  branch 
of  J'all  river.  We  were  gradually  ascend- 
ing to  a  more  elevated  region,  which  would 
have  been  indicated  by  the  rapidly-increas- 
ing quantities  of  snow  and  ice,  had  we  not 
known  it  by  other  means.  A  mule  which 
was  packed  with  our  cooking  utensils  wan- 
dered off  among  the  pines  unperceived,  and 
several  men  were  sent  back  to  search  for  it. 

December  3. — Leaving  Mr.  Fitzpatrick 
with  the  party,  I  went  ahead  with  the  how- 
itzer and  a  few  men,  in  order  to  gain  time, 
as  our  progress  with  the  gun  was  necessa- 
rily slower.  The  country  continued  the 
same — very  stony,  with  cedar  and  pine  ; 
and  we  rode  on  until  dark,  when  we  en- 
camped on  a  hillside  covered  with  snow, 
which  we  used  to-night  for  water,  as  we 
were  unable  to  reach  any  stream. 

December  4. — Our  animals  had  takea  tha 
back  track,  although  a  great  number  were 
hobbled  ;  and  we  were  consequently  delayed 
until  noon.     Shortly  after  we  had  left  thin 


latitude  of  th« 
the  longitude 

nice  above  out 
I  river,  whick 
inks  with  ice 
ntain  streams 
d  the  current 
lere  fordable, 
ur  feet  deep  at 

hundred  feet 
!  case  at  suck 
his  pack,  con- 
ret,  and  turned 
aides  informed 
n  water,"  and 
usly-contrived 
ng  the  pines  in 
(ise  one,  about 
L  steep  ascent 
,red  us  again ; 
)f  our  guides, 
iry  scarce,  we 
id,  in  a  marshy 
i  there  was  an 
id  here  a  single 
very  handsome 

we  cndcavor- 

a  good  cow ; 
ts,"  or,  rather, 

another :  she 
i  the  horse  too 
3  people  attach 
hich  they  are 
slves, 

rays  of  the  sun, 
fling  presented 
now  being  en- 
rosy  gold.  We 
stony,  elevated 
ered  cedar  and 
sr  large  branch 
idually  ascend- 
1,  which  would 
apidly-increas- 
ce,  had  we  not 
A  mule  which 
;  utensils  wan- 
iperceived,  and 

0  search  for  it. 
[r.  Fitzpatrick 

with  the  how- 
r  to  gain  time, 

1  was  neoessa- 
continued   the 

lar  and  pine  ; 
when  we  en- 
ed  with  snow, 
•  water,  as  wa 
earn. 

i  had  taken  tha 
t  number  wero 
juently  delayed 
e  had  left  thiii 


ISM.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARR\  ri\  i: 


IM 


encampment,  the  mountain  trail  from  the 
Dalles  joined  that  on  which  we  were  travel- 
ling. After  passing  for  several  miles  over 
»n  artemisia  plain,  the  trail  entered  a  beanti- 
fhl  pine  forest,  through  which  we  travelled 
for  several  hours  ;  and  about  4  oVlock  de- 
scended into  the  valley  of  another  large 
oranch,  on  (he  bottom  of  which  were  spaces 
of  open  pines,  with  occasional  meadows  of 
good  grass,  in  one  of  which  we  encamped. 
The  stream  is  very  swift  and  deep,  and  about 
40  feet  wide,  and  nearly  half  frozen  over. 
Among  the  timber  here,  are  larches  140  feet 
high,  and  over  3  feet  in  diameter.  We  had 
to-night  the  rare  sight  of  a  lunar  rainbow. 

December  5. — To-day  the  country  was  all 
pine  forest,  and  beautiful  weather  made  our 
journey  delightful.  It  was  too  warm  at  noon 
for  winter  clothes  ;  and  the  snow,  which  lay 
everywhere  in  patches  through  the  forest, 
was  melting  rapidly.  After  a  few  hours' 
ride,  we  came  upon  a  fine  stream  in  the 
midst  of  the  forest,  which  proved  to  be  the 
principal  branch  of  Fall  river.  It  was  oc- 
casionally 200  feet  wide — sometimes  nar- 
rowed to  50  feet :  the  waters  very  clear, 
and  frequently  deep.  We  ascended  along 
the  river,  which  sometimes  presented  sheets 
of  foaming  cascades  ;  its  banks  occasionally 
blackened  with  masses  of  scoriated  rock ; 
and  found  a  good  encampment  on  the  verge 
of  an  open  bottom,  which  had  been  an  old 
camping  ground  of  the  Cayiise  Indians.  A 
great  number  of  deer  horns  were  lying  about, 
indicating  game  in  the  neighborhood.  The 
timber  was  uniformly  large  ;  some  of  the 
pines  measuring  23  feet  in  circumference  at 
the  ground,  and  12  to  13  feet  at  six  feet 
above. 

In  all  our  journeying,  we  had  never  trav- 
elled through  a  country  where  the  rivers 
were  so  abounding  in  falls ;  and  the  name 
of  this  stream  is  singularly  characteristic. 
At  every  place  where  we  come  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  river,  is  heard  the  roaring  of 
fells.  The  rock  along  the  banks  of  the 
stream,  and  the  ledge  over  which  it  falls,  is 
8.  scoriated  basalt,  with  a  bright  metallic 
kacture.  The  stream  goes  over  in  one 
clear  pitch,  succeeded  by  a  foaming  cataract 
of  several  hundred  yards.  In  the  little  bot- 
tom above  the  falls,  a  small  stream  dis- 
charges into  an  cntonnoir,  and  disappears 
below. 

We  had  made  an  early  encampment,  and 
in  the  course  of  the  evening  Mr.  Fitzpatrick 
joined  us  here  with  the  lost  mule.  Our 
lodge  poles  were  nearly  worn  out,  and  we 
found  here  a  handsome  set,  leaning  against 
one  of  the  trees,  very  white,  and  cleanly 
scraped.  Had  the  owners  been  here,  we 
would  have  purchased  them  ;  but  as  they 
were  not,  we  merely  left  the  old  ones  in 
llMir  place,  with  a  small  quantity  of  tobacco. 


Deccmher  6. — Tix-  miiriiing  was  ftotty 
and  clear.  We  coniinuHd  up  the  stream  oik 
undulating  forest  ground,  over  which  there 
was  scattored  mueli  falling  timber.  We 
met  here  a  village  of  Nez  Perce  Indians, 
who  appeared  to  be  coming  down  from  the 
mountains,  and  had  with  them  fine  bands  of 
horses.  With  them  were  a  few  Snake  In- 
dians of  the  root-digging  species.  Froid 
the  forest  we  emerged  into  an  open  valley 
ten  or  twelve  miles  wide,  through  which  the 
stream  was  flowing  tranquilly,  upwards  of 
two  hundred  feet  broad,  with  occasional  isl- 
ands, and  bordered  with  fine  broad  bottoms. 
Crossing  the  river,  which  here  issues  from 
a  great  mountain  ridge  on  the  right,  we  con- 
tinued up  the  southern  and  smaller  branch, 
over  a  level  country,  consisting  of  fine 
meadow  land,  alternating  with  pine  forests, 
and  encamped  on  it  early  in  the  evening.  A 
warm  sunshine  made  the  day  pleasant. 

December  7. — To-day  we  had  good  trav- 
elling ground  ;  the  trail  leading  sometimes 
over  rather  sandy  soils  in  the  pine  forest, 
and  sometimes  over  meadow  land  along  the 
stream.  The  great  beauty  of  the  country 
in  summer  constantly  suggested  itself  to  our 
imaginations ;  and  even  now  we  found  it 
beautiful,  as  we  rode  along  these  meadows, 
from  half  a  mile  to  two  miles  wide.  The 
rich  soil  and  excellent  water,  surrounded  by 
noble  forests,  make  a  picture  that  would  de- 
light the  eye  of  a  farmer. 

I  observed  to-night  an  occultation  of  «f 
Geminorum  ;  which,  although  at  the  bright 
limb  of  the  moon,  appears  to  give  a  very 
good  result,  that  has  been  adopted  for  the 
longitude.  The  occultation,  observations 
of  satellites,  and  our  position  deduced  from 
daily  surveys  with  the  compass,  agree  re- 
markably well  together,  and  mutually  sup- 
port and  strengthen  each  other.  The  lati- 
tude of  the  camp  is  43°  30'  36" ;  and  longi- 
tude, deduced  from  the  occultation,  131^ 
33'  60". 

December  8. — To-day  we  crossed  the  last 
branch  of  the  Fall  river,  issuing,  like  all  the 
others  we  had  crossed,  in  a  southwesterly 
direction  from  the  mountains.  Our  direc- 
tion was  a  little  east  of  south,  the  trail  lead- 
ing constantly  through  pine  forests.  The 
soil  was  generally  bare,  consisting,  in  great- 
er part,  of  a  yellowish  white  pumice  stone, 
producing  varieties  of  magnificent  pinee, 
but  not  a  blade  of  grass  ;  and  to-night  car 
horses  were  obliged  to  do  without  food,  and 
use  snow  for  water.  These  pines  are  re- 
markable for  the  red  color  of  the  l)olls ;  and 
among  them  occurs  a  species,  of  which  the 
Indians  had  informed  me  when  leaving  the 
Dalles.  The  unusual  size  of  the  cone  (16 
or  18  inches  long)  had  attracted  their  atten- 
tion ;  and  they  pointed  it  out  to  me  among 
the  curiosities  of  the  country.    Thej  tM 


lilt 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1841 


mote  remarkable  for  their  large  diameter 
than  their  height,  which  usually  averages 
only  about  120  feet.  The  leaflets  are  short 
— only  two  or  three  inches  long,  and  five  in 
a  sheath  ;  the  bark  of  a  red  color. 

December  9. — The  trail  leads  always 
through  splendid  pine  forests.  Crossing 
dividing  grounds  by  a  very  fine  road,  we 
descended  very  gently  towards  the  south. 
The  weather  was  pleiisiaiit,  and  we  halted 
late.  The  soil  was  very  much  like  that  of 
yesterday ;  and  on  the  surface  o»"  a  hill, 
near  our  encampment,  were  displayed  beds 
of  pumice  stone  ;  but  tlie  soil  produced  no 
grass,  and  again  the  animals  fared  badly. 

December  10. — The  country  began  to  i 
improve;  and  about  11  o'clock  we  reached 
a  spring  of  cold  water  on  the  edge  of  a 
savannah,  or  grassy  meadow,  which  our 
guides  informed  us  was  an  arm  of  the  Tla- 
math  lake;  and  a  few  miles  riirtiier  we  en- 
tered upon  an  extensive  mci-.iiow,  or  lake 
of  grass,  surrounded  by  timboied  mountains. 
This  was  the  Tlanuith  lake,  [t  was  a  pic- 
turesque and  beuuliful  spot,  and  rendered 
more  attractive  to  us  by  thu  abundant  and 
excellent  grass,  which  our  animals,  after 
travelling  through  pine  forests,  so  much 
needed ;  but  the  broad  sheet  of  water  which 
constitutes  a  lake  was  not  to  be  seen.  Over- 
looking it,  immediately  west,  were  several 
«nowy  knobs,  belonging  to  what  we  have 
considered  a  branch  of  the  Cascade  range. 
A  low  point  covered  with  pines  made  out 
into  the  lake,  which  afforded  us  a  good  place 
for  an  encampment,  and  for  the  security  of 
our  horses,  which  were  guarded  in  view  on 
the  open  meadow.  The  character  of  cou- 
rage and  hostility  attributed  to  the  Indians 
of  this  quarter  induced  more  than  usual  pre- 
caution ;  and,  seeing  smokes  rising  from  the 
middle  of  the  lake  (or  savannah)  and  along 
the  opposite  shores,  I  directed  the  howitzer 
to  be  fired.  It  was  the  first  time  our  guides 
had  seen  it  discharged ;  and  the  bursting  of 
the  shell  at  a  distance,  which  was  some- 
thing like  the  second  fire  of  the  gun,  amazed 
and  bewildered  them  with  delight.  It  in- 
spired them  with  triumphant  feelings  ;  but 
on  the  camps  at  a  distance  the  effect  was 
different,  for  the  smokes  in  the  lake  and  on 
the  shores  immediately  disappeared. 

The  point  on  which  we  were  encamped 
forms,  with  the  opposite  eastern  shore,  a 
narrow  neck,  connecting  the  body  of  the 
lake  with  a  deep  cove  or  bay  which  receives 
the  principal  affluent  stream,  and  over  the 
greater  part  of  which  the  wat«»r  (or  rather 
ice)  was  at  this  time  dispersed  in  shallow 
pools.  Among  the  grass,  and  scattered 
over  the  prairie  lake,  appeared  to  ke  similar 
marshed.  It  is  simply  a  shallow  basin, 
fsrhieh,  for  a  short  period  at  the  time  of 
■eltiog  snows,  is  covered  with  water  from 


the  neighb'^ring  mountains ;  but  this  prob- 
ably soon  runs  off,  and  leaves  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  year  a  green  savannah, 
through  the  midst  of  which  the  river  Tla- 
math,  which  flows  to  the  ocean,  winds  its 
way  to  the  outlet  on  t!ie  southwestern  side. 

December  11. — No  Indians  made  their 
appearance,  and  I  determined  to  pay  them 
a  visit.  Accordingly,  the  people  were  gath- 
ered together,  and  we  rode  out  towards  the 
village  in  the  middle  of  the  lake,  which  one 
of  our  guides  had  previously  visited.  It 
could  not  be  directly  approached,  as  a  large 
part  of  the  lake  appeared  a  marsh  ;  and 
there  were  sheets  of  ice  among  the  grass, 
on  which  our  horses  could  not  keep  their 
footing.  We  therefore  followed  the  guide 
for  a  considerable  distance  along  the  forest ; 
and  then  turned  off  towards  the  village, 
which  we  soon  began  to  see  was  a  few  large 
huts,  on  the  tops  of  which  were  collected 
the  Indians.  When  we  had  arrived  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  village,  two  persons  were 
seen  advancing  to  meet  us  ;  and,  to  please 
the  fancy  of  our  guides,  we  ranged  ourselves 
into  a  long  line,  riding  abreast,  while  they 
galloped  ahead  to  meet  the  strangers. 

We  were  surprised,  on  riding  up,  to  find 
one  of  them  a  woman,  having  never  before 
known  a  squaw  to  take  any  part  in  the  busi- 
ness of  war.  They  were  the  village  chief 
and  his  wife,  who,  in  excitement  and  alarm 
at  the  unusual  event  and  appearance,  had 
come  out  to  meet  their  fate  together.  The 
chief  was  a  very  prepossessing  Indian,  with 
very  handsome  features,  and  a  singularly 
soft  and  agreeable  voice — so  remarkable  as 
to  attract  general  notice. 

The  huts  were  grouped  together  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  which,  from  being  spread 
out  in  a  shallow  marsh  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  lake,  was  collected  here  into  a  single 
stream.  They  were  large  round  huts,  per- 
haps 20  feet  in  diameter,  with  rounded  tops, 
on  which  was  the  door  by  which  they  de- 
scended into  the  interior.  Within,  they 
were  supported  by  posts  and  beams. 

Almost  like  plants,  these  people  seem  to 
have  adapted  themselves  to  the  soil,  and  to 
be  growing  on  what  the  immediate  locality 
afforded.  Their  only  subsistence  at  this 
time  appeared  to  be  a  small  fish,  great  quan- 
tities of  which,  that  had  been  smoked  and 
dried,  were  suspended  on  strings  about  the 
lodge.  Heaps  of  straw  were  lying  around  ; 
and  their  residence  in  the  midst  of  grass 
and  rushes  had  taught  them  a  peculiar  skill 
in  converting  this  material  to  useful  pur- 
poses. Their  shoes  were  made  of  straw 
or  grass,  which  seemed  well  adapted  for  a 
snowy  country ;  and  the  women  wore  oi 
their  head  a  closely  woven  basket,  which 
made  a  very  good  cap.  Among  other 
things,  were  parti-colored  mats  about  few 


11843. 

but  this  prob- 
'68  for  the  re- 
sen   savannah, 
the  river  Tla- 
ean,  winds  its 
hwestern  side, 
ns  made  their 
d  to  pay  them 
iple  were  gath- 
ut  towards  the 
ake,  which  one 
ly  visited.     It 
:hed,  as  a  large 
a  marsh  ;    and 
ong  the  grass, 
not  keep  their 
)wed  the  guide 
long  the  forest ; 
Js  the   village, 
was  a  few  large 

were  collected 

arrived  within 
,0  persons  were 

and,  to  please 
•anged  ourselves 
3ast,  while  they 
strangers, 
ding  up,  to  find 
ng  never  before 
part  in  the  busi- 
he  village  chief 
ment  and  alann 
appearance,  had 

together.  The 
ling  Indian,  with 
md  a  singularly 
io  remarkable  as 

together  on  the 
cm  being  spreai 
he  upper  end  of 
ire  into  a  single 
round  huts,  per- 
ith  rounded  tops, 
which  they  dfr- 
,  Within,  they 
id  beams, 
e  people  seem  to 

0  the  soil,  and  to 
imediate  locality 
tsistence  at  this 

1  fish,  great  quan- 
jeen  smoked  and 
strings  about  the 
sre  lying  around ; 
e  midst  of  grass 
m  a  peculiar  skill 
3.1  to  useful  pur- 
made  of  straw 

ell  adapted  for  a 
women  wore  oi 

tsu  basket,  which 
Among  other 
mats  about  fow 


184S.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NAUR  VIIVK 


m 


feet  square,  which  we  purchased  to  lay  on 
the  snow  under  our  blankets,  and  to  use  for 
table  cloths. 

Numbers  of  singular-looking  dogs,  re- 
sembling wolves,  were  sitting  on  the  tops 
of  the  huts  ;  and  of  these  we  purchased  a 
young  one,  which,  after  its  birthplace,  was 
aamed  Tlamath.  The  language  spoken  by 
these  Indians  is  difierent  from  that  of  the 
Shoshonee  and  Columbia  river  tribes  ;  and 
otherwise  than  by  signs  they  cannot  under- 
stand each  other.  They  made  us  compre- 
hend that  they  were  at  war  with  the  people 
who  lived  to  the  southward  and  to  the  east- 
ward ;  but  I  could  obtain  from  them  no 
certain  information.  The  i-iver  on  which 
they  live  enters  the  Cascade  mountains  on 
the  western  side  of  the  lake,  and  breaks 
through  them  by  a  passage  impracticable  for 
travellers ;  but  over  the  mountains,  to  the 
northward,  are  passes  which  present  no 
other  obstacle  than  in  the  almost  impene- 
trable forests.  Unlike  any  Indians  we  had 
previously  seen,  these  wore  shells  in  tiieir 
noses.  We  returned  to  our  camp,  after  re- 
maining here  an  hour  or  two,  accompanied 
by  a  number  of  Indians. 

In  order  to  recruit  a  little  the  strength  of 
our  animals,  and  obtain  some  acquaintance 
with  the  locality,  we  remained  here  for  the 
remainder  of  the  day.  By  ol)seivation,  the 
latitude  of  the  camp  was  -l^o  56'  51";  and 
the  diameter  of  the  lake,  or  uieadnw,  as  has 
been  intimated,  about  20  miles.  It  is  a  pic- 
turesque and  beautiful  spot;  ;iiid,  under  the 
hand  of  cultivation,  might  become  a  iittle 
paradise.  Game  is  found  in  the  forest ; 
timbered  and  snowy  mountains  skirt  it,  and 
fertility  characterizes  it.  Situated  near  the 
heads  of  three  rivers,  and  eu  the*  line  of  in- 
land communication  with  California,  and 
near  to  Indians  noted  for  treachery,  it  will 
naturally,  in  the  progress  of  the  settlement 
of  Oregon,  become  a  point  for  military  oc- 
cupation and  settlement. 

From  Tlamath  lake,  the  further  continua- 
tion of  our  voyage  assumed  a  character  of 
discovery  and  exploration,  which,  from  the 
Indians  here,  we  could  obtain  no  informa- 
tion to  direct,  and  where  the  imaginary 
maps  of  the  country,  instead  of  assisting, 
exposed  us  to  suffering  and  defeat.  In  our 
journey  across  the  desert,  Mary's  lake,  and 
the  famous  Buenaventura  river,  were  two 
points  on  which  I  relied  to  recruit  the  ani- 
mals, and  repose  the  party.  Forming, 
agreeably  to  the  best  maps  in  my  possession, 
a  connected  water  line  from  the  Rocky 
mountains  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  I  felt  no 
other  anxiety  than  to  pass  safely  across  the 
intervening  desert  to  the  banks  of  the  Bue- 
Baventura,  whore,  in  tho  botter  climate  of 
a  more  southern  latitude,  our  horses  might 
flid  grass  to  sustain  them,  and  ourselves  be 


sheltered  from  ilie  '  j>riir.s  ol'  winter  and  fron 
the  inho.spitable  dcseit.  The  guides  who 
had  conducted  us  thus  far  on  our  journey 
were  about  to  return  ;  and  I  endeavored  ia 
vain  to  obtain  others  to  loud  us,  even  for 
a  few  days,  in  tho  direction  (east)  which  we 
wished  to  go.  The  chief  to  whom  I  applied 
alleged  the  want  of  horses,  and  the  snow  on 
the  mountains  across  which  our  course 
would  carry  us,  and  the  sickness  of  his  fam- 
ily, as  reasons  for  refusing  to  go  with  us. 

December  12. — This  morning  the  camp 
was  throii<ved  with  Tlamath  Indians  from 
the  southeastern  shore  of  the  lake  ;  but, 
knowing  the  treacherous  disposition  which 
is  a  remarkable  characteristic  of  the  In- 
dians south  of  the  (^olumbia,  the  camp  was 
kept  constantly  on  its  guard.  I  was  not 
unmindful  of  the  disasters  which  Smith  and 
other  travellers  had  met  with  in  this  coun- 
try, and  therefore  was  equally  vigilanl  in 
guarding  against  trnacbery  and  violence. 

According  to  the  best  information  I  had 
been  able  to  obtain  from  the  Indians,  in 
a  few  days'  travelling  we  should  reach  ano- 
ther large  water,  probably  a  lake,  which 
they  indicated  exactly  in  the  course  we 
were  about  to  ininsue.  We  struck  our  tents 
at  10  o'clock,  and  crossed  the  lake  in  a 
nearly  east  diiection,  where  it  has  the  least 
extension — the  breadth  of  the  arm  being 
here  only  about  a  mile  and  a  half.  There 
were  ponds  of'  ice,  with  but  little  grass,  for 
the  greater  p:ut  of  the  way  ;  and  it  was  dif- 
ficult to  get  ibe  pack  animals  across,  which 
fell  frequently,  and  could  not  get  up  with 
their  loads,  unassisted.  The  morning  was 
very  un[»kasant,  snow  falling  at  intervals  in 
large  flakes,  and  the  sky  dark.  In  about 
two  hours  we  succeeded  in  getting  the  ani- 
mals over ;  and,  after  travelling  another 
hour  along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  we 
turned  up  into  a  covo  where  there  was 
a  sheltered  place  among  the  timber,  with 
good  grass,  and  encamped.  The  Indians, 
who  had  accompanied  us  so  far,  returned  to 
their  village  on  the  southeastern  shore. 
Among  the  pines  here,  I  noticed  some  five 
or  six  feet  in  diameter. 

December  13. — The  night  has  been  cold ; 
the  peaks  around  the  lake  gleam  out  bright- 
ly in  the  morning  sun;  and  the  thermom- 
eter is  at  zero.  We  continued  up  the  hol- 
low formed  by  a  small  afQuent  to  the  lake, 
and  immediately  entered  an  open  pine  forest 
on  the  mountain.  The  way  here  was  some- 
times obstructed  by  fallen  trees,  and  the 
snow  was  four  to  twelve  inches  deep.  The 
mules  at  the  gun  pulled  heavily,  and  walk- 
ing was  a  little  laborious.  In  the  midst  of 
the  wood,  we  heard  the  sound  of  galloping 
horses,  and  were  agreeably  surprised  by  tho 
unexpected  arrival  of  our  Tlamath  chi«<* 
with  several  Indians.     He  seemed  to  iuiT« 


CAPT.  FREMON  I'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1941 


fpund  his  conduct  inhospitable  in  letting  the 
atrangers  depart  without  a  guide  through 
the  enow,  and  had  come,  with  a  few  otliers, 
to  pih)t  us  a  day  or  two  on  the  way.  After 
travelling  in  an  easterly  direction  through 
the  forest  for  about  four  hours,  we  reached 
a  considerable  stream,  with  a  border  of  good 
grass  ;  and  here,  by  the  advice  of  our  guides, 
we  encamped.  It  is  about  thirty  feet  wide, 
and  two  to  four  feet  deep ;  the  water  clear, 
with  some  current ;  and,  according  to  the 
information  of  our  Indians,  is  the  principal 
affluent  to  tlie  lake,  and  the  head  water  of 
the  Tlamath  river. 

A  very  clear  sky  enabled  me  to  obtain 
here  to-night  good  observations,  including 
an  emersion  of  the  first  satellite  of  Jupiter, 
which  give  for  the  longitude  12 1^  20'  42", 
and  for  the  latitude  42'^  51'  26".  This 
emersion  coincides!  remarkably  well  witli 
the  result  obtained  from  an  oiM'ultation  at 
the  encampment  of  December  7ih  to  8lh, 
1843  ;  from  which  place,  tii-  line  of  our 
survey  gives  an  easting  of  tliiiticn  miles. 
The  day's  journey  was  12  miles. 

December  14. — Our  road  was  over  a 
broad  mountain,  and  we  rode  seven  hours  in 
a  thick  snow  storm,  always  through  pine 
forests,  when  we  came  down  upon  the  head 
waters  of  another  stream,  on  which  there 
was  grass.  The  snow  lay  deep  on  the 
ground,  and  only  the  high  swamp  grass  ap- 
peared above.  I'he  Indians  were  thinly 
clad,  and  I  had  remarked  during  the  day  that 
they  suffered  from  the  cold.  This  evening 
they  told  me  that  the  snow  was  getting  too 
deep  on  the  mountain,  and  I  could  not  in- 
duce them  to  go  any  farther.  The  stream 
we  had  struck  issued  from  the  mountain  in 
an  easterly  direction,  turning  to  the  south- 
ward a  short  distance  below ;  and,  drawing 
its  course  upon  the  ground,  they  made  us 
comprehend  that  it  pursued  its  way  for  a 
long  distance  in  that  direction,  uniting  with 
many  other  streams,  and  gradually  becom- 
i^  a  great  river.  Without  the  subsequent 
information,  which  confirmed  the  opinion, 
W6  became  immediately  satisfied  that  this 
water  formed  the  principal  stream  of  the 
Saaramento  river  ;  and,  consequently,  that 
Ibis  main  affluent  of  the  bay  of  San  Fran- 
•iaco  had  its  source  within  the  limits  of  the 
United  States,  and  opposite  a  tributary  to 
the  Columbia,  and  near  the  head  of  the 
'I'lamath  river ;  which  goes  to  the  ocean 
north  of  42°,  and  within  the  United  States. 

December  15. — A  present,  consisting  of 
Weful  goods,  afforded  much  satisfaction  to 
our  guides  ;  and,  showing  them  the  national 
llRg,  I  explained  that  it  was  a  symbol  of  our 
nj^tion  .  and  they  engaged  always  to  receive 
U  in  a  friendly  manner.  The  chief  pointed' 
M|<v,a  course,  by  following  which  we  would 
tmi(^«  at  the  big  water,  where  no  more 


snow  was  to  be  found.  Travelling  in  a  di- 
rection N.  60°  E.  by  compass,  which  th« 
Indians  informed  me  would  avoid  a  bad 
mountain  to  the  right,  we  crossed  the  Sa- 
cramento where  it  turned  to  the  southward, 
and  entered  a  grassy  level  plain — a  smaller 
Grand  Rond  ;  from  the  lower  end  of  which 
the  river  issued  into  an  inviting  country  of 
low  rolling  hills.  Crossing  a  hard-frozen 
swamp  on  the  farther  side  of  tiie  Rond,  we 
entered  again  the  pine  forest,  in  which  very 
deep  snow  made  our  travelling  slow  and  la- 
borious. Wo  were  slowly  but  gradually  as- 
cending a  mountain  ;  and,  after  a  hard  jour- 
ney of  seven  hours,  we  came  to  some  naked 
places  among  the  t'  ..her,  where  a  few  tufts 
of  grass  showed  ftbove  the  snow,  on  the 
side  of  a  hollow ;  and  here  we  encamped. 
Our  cow,  which  every  day  got  poorer,  was 
killed  here,  but  the  meat  was  rather  tough. 
Jhcembcr  16. — We  travelled  this  morn- 
ing through  snow  about  three  feet  deep, 
whicii,  being  crusted,  very  nmcli  cut  the 
feet  of  our  animals.  The  mountain  stiU 
gradually  rose  ;  we  crossed  several  spring 
heads  covered  with  quaking  asp  ;  otherwise 
it  was  all  pine  forest.  The  air  was  dark 
with  falling  snow,  which  everywhere  weigh- 
ed down  the  trees.  The  depihs  of  the  for- 
est were  profoundly  still ;  and  below,  we 
scarcely  felt  a  breath  of  the  wind  which 
whirled  the  snow  through  their  branches.  I 
found  that  it  required  some  exertion  of  con- 
stancy to  adhere  steadily  to  one  course 
through  the  woods,  when  we  were  uncertain 
how  far  the  forest  extended,  or  what  lajr 
beyond ;  and,  on  account  of  our  animals,  it 
would  be  bad  to  spend  another  night  on  the 
mountain.  Towards  noon  the  forest  looked 
clear  ahead,  appearing  suddenly  to  termi- 
nate ;  and  beyond  a  certain  point  we  could 
see  no  trees.  Riding  rapidly  ahead  to  this 
spot,  we  found  ourselves  on  the  verge  of  a 
vertical  and  rocky  wall  of  the  mountain. 
At  our  feet — more  than  a  tliousand  feet  be- 
low— we  looked  into  a  green  prairie  coun- 
try, in  which  a  beautiful  lake,  some  twenty 
miles  in  length,  was  spread  along  the  foot 
of  the  mountains,  its  shores  bordered  with 
green  grass.  Just  then  the  sun  broke  out 
among  the  clouds,  and  illuminated  the  coun- 
try below,  while  around  us  the  storm  raged 
fiercely.  Not  a  particle  of  ice  was  to  be 
seen  on  the  lake,  or  snow  on  its  borders, 
and  all  was  like  summer  or  spring.  The 
glow  of  the  sun  in  the  valley  below  bright- 
ened up  our  hearts  with  sudden  pleasure ; 
and  we  made  the  woods  ring  with  joyful 
shouts  to  those  behind ;  and  gradually,  oa 
each  came  up,  he  stopped  to  enjoy  the  un- 
expoflted  scene.  Shivering  on  snow'three 
feet  deep,  and  otifFoning  in  a  oold  north 
wind,  we  exclaimed  at  once  that  the  name» 
of  Summer  Lake  and  Winter  Ridge  shuuU 


[1941 

irelling  in  a  di< 
188,  which  tha 
1  avoid  a  bad 
•rossed  the  Sa- 
ihe  southward, 
lain — a  smaller 
r  end  of  which 
ing  country  of 
a  hard- frozen 
'  tlio  llond,  we 
;,  in  which  very 
ig  slow  and  la- 
jt  gradually  as- 
ter a  hard  jour- 
i  to  some  naked 
lere  a  few  tufta 
!  snow,  on  the 
we  encamped, 
^ot  poorer,  was 
IS  rather  tough, 
lied  this  morn- 
liree  feet  deep, 
'  much  cut  the 
mountain   stiU 
several  spring 
asp ;  otherwise 
e  air  was  dark 
rywhere  weigh- 
spihs  of  the  for- 
and  below,  we 
the  wind  which 
leir  branches.    I 
exertion  of  con- 
to  one   course 
3  were  uncertain 
sd,  or  what  lay 
our  animals,  it 
her  night  on  the 
he  forest  looked 
Idenly  to  termi- 
1  point  we  could 
ily  ahead  to  this 
1  the  verge  of  a 
if  the  mountain, 
housand  feet  be- 
en prairie  coun- 
ke,  some  twenty 
I  along  the  foot 
S3  bordered  with 
e  sun  broke  out 
ninated  the  coun- 
the  storm  raged 
f  ice  was  to  be 
iv  on  its  borders, 
or  spring.     The 
ley  below  bright- 
sudden  pleasure; 
ring  with  joyful 
iiid  gradually,  as 
to  enjoy  the  utt- 
ig  on  snow'thres 

in    a   oold    north 

se  that  the  name» 
ter  Ridge  shuuU 


1849.1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


Its 


be  applied  to  these  two  proximate  places  of 
such  sudden  and  violent  contrast. 

Wo  were  now  immediately  on  the  verge 
of  the  forest  land,  in  which  we  had  been 
travelling  so  many  days  ;  and,  looking  for- 
ward to  the  east,  scarce  a  tree  was  to  be 
seen.  Viewed  from  our  elevation,  the  face 
of  the  country  exhibited  only  rocks  and 
grass,  and  presented  a  region  in  which  the 
artemisia  became  the  principal  wood,  fur- 
nishing to  its  scattered  inhabitants  fuel  for 
their  fires,  building  material  for  their  huts, 
and  sheltei  for  the  small  game  which  minis- 
ters to  their  hunger  and  nakedness.  Broad- 
ly marked  by  the  boundary  of  the  mountain 
wall,  and  immediately  below  us,  were  the 
first  waters  of  that  Great  Interior  Basin 
which  has  the  Wahsatch  and  Bear  river 
mountains  for  its  eastern,  and  the  Sierra 
Nevada  for  its  western  rim  ;  and  the  edge 
of  which  we  had  entered  upwards  of  three 
months  before,  at  the  Great  Salt  lake. 

W^hen  we  had  sufficiently  admired  the 
scene  below,  we  began  to  think  about  de- 
scending, v.'hich  here  was  impossible,  and 
we  turned  towards  the  north,  travelling  al- 
ways along  the  rocky  wall.  We  continued 
on  for  four  or  five  miles,  making  ineffectual 
attempts  at  several  places ;  and  at  length 
succeeded  in  getting  down  at  one  which  was 
extremely  difficult  of  descent.  Night  had 
closed  in  before  the  foremost  reached  the 
bottom,  and  it  was  dark  before  we  all  found 
ourselves  together  in  the  valley.  There 
were  three  or  four  half  dead  dry  cedar  trees 
on  the  shore,  and  those  who  first  arrived 
kindled  bright  fires  to  light  on  the  others. 
0h6  of  the  mules  rolled  over  and  over  two 
or  three  hundred  feet  into  a  ravine,  but  re- 
covered himself,  without  any  other  injury 
than  tu  his  pack ;  and  the  howitzer  was  left 
midway  the  mountain  until  morning.  By 
observation,  the  latitude  of  this  encampment 
i»  42°  57'  82".  It  delayed  us  until  near 
noon  the  next  day  to  recover  ourselves  and 
put  every  thing  in  order  ;  and  we  made  only 
a  short  camp  along  the  western  shore  of  the 
lake,  which,  in  the  summer  temperature  we 
enjoyed  to-day,  justified  the  name  we  had 
given  it.  Our  course  would  have  taken  us 
to  the  other  shore,  and  over  the  highlands 
beyond  ;  but  I  distrusted  the  appearance  of 
the  country,  and  decided  to  follow  a  plainly 
beaten  Indian  trail  leading  along  this  side 
of  the  lake.  We  were  now  in  a  country 
where  the  scarcity  of  water  and  of  grass 
makes  travelling  dangerous,  and  great  cau- 
tion was  necessary. 

December  18. — We  continued  on  the  trail 
along  the  narrow  strip  of  land  between  the 
lake  and  the  high  rocky  wall,  from  whioh 
we  had  looked  down  two  Hnyo  bcftjre.  Al- 
most every  half  mile  we  crossed  a  little 
■firing,  or  stream  of  pure  cold  waier ;  and 


the  grass  was  certainly  as  fresh  and  green 
as  in  the  early  spring.  From  the  white 
efllorescence  along  the  shore  of  the  lake, 
we  were  enabled  to  judge  that  the  water 
was  impure,  like  that  of  lakes  we  subse- 
quently found  ;  but  the  mud  prevented  us 
from  approaching  it.  Wo  encamped  near 
the  eastern  point  of  the  lake,  where  there 
appeared  between  the  hills  a  broad  and  low 
connecting  hollow  with  the  country  beyond. 
From  a  rocky  hill  in  the  rear,  I  could  see, 
marked  out  by  a  line  of  yellow  dried  grass, 
the  bed  of  a  stream,  which  probably  con- 
nected the  lake  with  other  waters  in  the 
spring. 

Tiie  observed  latitude  of  this  encampment 
is  420  42'  37". 

December  19. — After  two  hours'  ride  in 
an  easterly  direction,  through  a  low  country, 
the  iiigh  ridge  with  pine  forest  still  to  our 
right,  and  a  rocky  and  bald  but  lower  one 
on  the  left,  v/e  reached  a  considerable  fresh- 
water stream,  which  issues  from  the  piny 
mountains.  So  far  as  we  had  been  able  to 
judge,  between  this  stream  and  the  lake  we 
had  crossed  dividing  grounds ;  and  there 
did  not  appear  to  be  any  connection,  as 
might  be  inferred  from  the  impure  condition 
of  the  lake  water. 

The  rapid  stream  of  pure  water,  roaring 
along  between  banks  overhung  with  aspens 
and  willows,  was  a  refreshing  and  unex- 
pected sight;  and  we  followed  down  the 
course  of  the  stream,  which  brought  us  soon 
into  a  marsh,  or  dry  lake,  formed  by  the  ex- 
panding waters  of  the  stream.  It  was  cov- 
ered with  high  reeds  and  rushes,  and  large 
patches  of  ground  had  been  turned  up  by  the 
squaws  in  digging  for  roots,  as  if  a  farmei 
had  been  preparing  the  land  for  grain.  1 
could  not  succeed  in  finding  the  plant  for 
which  they  had  been  digging.  There  were 
frequent  trails,  and  fresh  tracks  of  Indians ; 
and,  from  the  abundant  signs  visible,  the 
black-tailed  hare  appears  to  be  numerous 
here.  It  was  evident  that,  in  other  seasons, 
this  place  was  a  sheet  of  water.  Crossing 
this  marsh  towards  the  eastern  hills,  and 
passing  over  a  bordering  plain  of  heavy 
sands,  covered  with  artemisia,  we  encamped 
before  sundown  on  the  creek,  which  here 
was  very  small,  having  lost  its  water  in  the 
marshy  grounds.  We  found  here  tolerabljf 
good  grass.  The  wind  to-night  was  high, 
and  we  had  no  longer  our  huge  pine  firea, 
but  were  driven  to  our  old  resource  of  small 
dried  willows  and  artemisia.  About  twelve 
miles  ahead,  the  valley  appears  to  be  closed 
in  by  a  high,  dark-looking  ridge. 

December  20. — Travelling  for  a  few  hours 
down  the  stream  this  morning,  we  turned  a 
point  of  the  hill  on  our  left,  and  came  sud- 
denly in  sight  of  another  and  much  largvf 
lake,  which,  along  its  eastern  8horp»  WM 


IM 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[184S. 


elbsely  bordered  by  the  high  black  ridge 
which  walled  it  in  by  a  precipitous  face  on 
this  Bide.  Throughout  this  region  the  face 
of  the  country  is  characterized  by  these  pre- 
cipices of  black  volcanic  rock,  generally 
enclosing  the  valleys  of  streams,  and  fre- 
quently terminating  the  hills.  Often  in  the 
course  of  our  journey  we  would  be  tempted 
to  continue  our  road  up  the  gentle  ascent  of 
a  sloping  hill,  which,  at  the  summit,  would 
termmate  abruptly  in  a  black  precipice. 
Spread  out  over  a  length  of  20  niilcs,  the 
lake,  when  w>  nrst  came  in  view,  presented 
a  handsome  sheet  of  water  ;  and  I  gave  to 
it  the  name  of  Lake  Abert,  in  honor  of  the 
chief  of  the  corps  to  which  I  belonged.  The 
fresh- water  stream  wo  had  followed  emptied 
into  the  lake  by  a  little  fall ;  and  I  was 
doubtful  for  a  moment  wliether  to  go  on,  or 
encamp  at  this  place.  The  miry  ground  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  lake  did  not  allow 
us  to  examine  the  w;iter  conveniently,  and, 
being  now  on  the  borders;  of  a  dcserl  coun- 
try, we  were  moving  cautiously.  It  was, 
however,  still  early  in  the  day,  and  I  con- 
tinued on,  trusting  either  that  the  water 
would  be  drinkable,  or  that  we  s-liould  find 
some  little  spring  from  tiie  hill  side.  Wo 
were  following  an  Indian  trail  which  led 
along  the  steep  rocky  precipice  ;  a  black 
ridge  along  the  western  shore  holdinfr  out 
no  prospect  whatever.  The  white  eiflores- 
cences  which  lined  the  shore  like  a  bank  of 
snow,  and  the  disagreeable  odor  which  filled 
the  air  as  smn  as  we  canic  near,  informed 
us  coo  plainly  that  the  water  belonged  to  one 
of  those  fetid  salt  lakes  which  are  common 
in  this  region.  We  continued  until  late  in 
the  evening  to  work  along  the  rocky  shore, 
but,  as  often  afterwards,  the  dry  inhospita- 
ble rock  deceived  us ;  and,  halting  on  the 
lake,  we  kindled  up  fires  to  guide  those  who 
were  straggling  along  behind.  We  tried 
the  water,  but  it  was  impossible  to  drink  it, 
and  most  of  the  people  to-night  lay  down 
without  eating ;  but  some  of  us,  who  had 
always  a  great  reluctance  to  close  the  day 
without  supper,  dug  holes  along  the  shore, 
and  obtained  water,  which,  being  filtered, 
was  sufficiently  palatable  to  be  used,  but 
still  retained  much  of  its  nauseating  taste. 
There  was  very  little  grass  for  the  animals, 
the  shore  being  lined  with  a  luxuriant 
ffrowth  of  chenopodiaccous  shrubs,  which 
burned  with  a  quick  bright  flame,  and  made 
«ur  firewood. 

The  next  morning  we  had  scarcely  trav- 
elled two  hours  along  the  shore  when  we 
leached  a  place  where  the  mountains  made 
a  bay,  leaving  at  their  feet  a  low  bottom 
around  the  lake.  Here  we  found  numerous 
lullocks  c««vered  with  rushes,  in  the  midst 
«f  which  were  deep  holes,  or  springs,  of 
puM  water :  and  the  bottom  was  covered 


with  grass,  which,  although  of  a  salt  and 
unwholesome  quality,  and  mixed  with  saline 
efflorescences,  was  still  abundant,  and  made 
a  good  halting  place  to  recruit  our  animals ; 
and  we  accordingly  encamped  here  for  the 
remainder  of  the  day.  I  rode  ahead  sevend 
miles  to  ascertain  if  there  was  any  appear- 
ance of  a  watercourse  entering  the  lake  ; 
but  found  none,  the  hills  preserving  their 
dry  character,  and  the  shore  c.  the  lake 
sprinkled  with  the  same  white  powdery  sub- 
stance,  and  covered  with  the  same  shrubs. 
There  were  flocks  of  ducks  on  the  lake, 
and  frequent  tracks  of  Indians  along  the 
shore,  where  the  grass  had  been  recently 
burnt  by  their  fires. 

We  ascended  the  bordering  mountain,  in 
order  to  obtain  a  more  perfect  view  of  the 
lake  in  sketching  its  figure  ;  hills  sweep  en- 
tirely around  its  basin,  from  which  the  wa- 
ters have  no  outlet. 

Dcccinhcr  22. — To-day  we  left  this  for- 
bidding lake.  Impassable  rocky  ridges  bar- 
red our  progress  to  the  eastward,  and  I  ac- 
cordingly bore  off  towards  the  south,  over 
an  extensive  sage  plain.  At  a  considerable 
distance  ahead,  ana  r.  little  on  our  left,  was 
a  range  of  snowy  mruntains,  and  the  country 
declined  gradually  towards  the  foot  of  a  high 
and  nearer  ridge  immediately  i)cfnre  us, 
which  presented  the  feature  of  black  preci- 
pices, now  becoming  common  to  the  coun- 
try. On  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  snow  was 
visible  ;  and  there  being  every  indication  of 
a  stream  at  its  base,  we  rode  on  until  after 
dark,  but  were  unable  to  reach  it,  and  halted 
ainong  the  sage  bushes  on  the  open  plain, 
without  either  grass  or  water.  The  two 
Indiarubber  bags  had  been  filled  with  water 
in  the  morning,  which  afforded  sufficient  for 
the  camp;  and  rain  in  the  night  formed 
pools,  which  relieved  the  thirst  of  the  ani- 
mals. Where  we  encamped  on  the  bleak 
sandy  plain,  the  Indians  had  made  huts  or 
circular  enclosures,  about  four  feet  high  and 
twelve  feet  broad,  of  artemisia  bushes. 
Whether  these  had  been  forts  or  houses,  or 
what  they  had  been  doing  in  such  a  desert 
place,  we  could  not  ascertain. 

December  23. — The  weather  is  mild  ;  the 
thermometer  at  daylight  38°  ;  the  wind  hav- 
ing been  from  the  southward  for  several  da3'8. 
The  country  has  a  very  forbidding  appear- 
ance, presenting  to  the  eye  nothing  but  sage 
and  barren  ridges.  We  rode  up  tox/ardi 
the  mountain,  along  the  foot  of  which  we 
found  a  lake,  which  we  could  not  approach 
on  account  of  the  mud  ;  and,  passing  around 
its  southern  end,  ascended  the  slope  at  the 
foot  of  the  ridge,  where  in  some  hollows  we 
had  discovered  bushes  and  small  trees — in 
such  situations,  a  sure  sign  of  water.  We 
found  here  several  springs,  and  the  hill  side 
was  well  sprinkled  with  a  species  of  futw- 


[18a. 

of  a  »%\t  and 
xed  with  saline 
dant,  and  made 
it  our  animals; 
d  here  for  the 
c  aliead  several 
as  any  appear- 
ring  the  lake  ; 
reserving  their 
ro  c.  the  lake 
c  powdery  sub- 
B  same  shrubs. 
»  on  the  lake, 
ians  along  the 

been  recently 

ng  mountain,  in 

ect  view  of  the 

hills  sweep  en- 

I  which  the  wa- 

'e  left  this  for- 
ocky  ridges  bar- 
,ward,  and  I  ac- 
the  south,  over 
it  a  considerable 
on  our  left,  was 
,  and  the  country 
the  fool  of  a  high 
itely  l)cf()re  us, 
5  of  black  preci- 
on  to  the  coun- 
I  ridge,  snow  was 
ery  indication  ot 
de  on  until  after 
aoh  it,  and  halted 

the  open  plain, 
vater.  The  two 
filled  with  water 
•ded  sufficient  for 
be  night  formed 
thirst  of  the  ani- 
sd  on  the  bleak 
ad  made  huts  or 
bur  feet  high  and 
irtemisia  bushes. 
)rts  or  houses,  or 
'  in  such  a  desert 
lin. 

ither  is  mild  ;  the 
P  ;  the  wind  hav- 
d  for  several  days, 
arbidding  appear- 
i  nothing  but  sage 
rode  up  tov/ardi 
foot  of  which  we 
)uld  not  approach 
id,  passing  around 
I  the  slope  at  the 
1  some  hollows  vva 
i  small  trees — in 
n  of  water.  We 
3,  and  the  hill  aide 

species  of  ftitU' 


184S.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


lav 


better  grass  than  we  had  found  for 
vany  days.  Our  elevated  position  gave  us 
»good  view  over  the  country,  but  we  dis- 
wvered  nothing  very  encouraging.  South- 
irard,  about  ten  miles  distant,  was  another 
mall  lake,  towards  which  a  broad  trail  led 
ilong  the  ridge  ;  and  this  appearing  to  af- 
ford the  most  practicable  route,  I  determined 
to  continue  our  journey  in  that  direction. 

December  24. — We  found  the  water  of 
the  lake  tolerably  pure,  and  encamped  at  the 
farther  end.  There  were  some  good  grass 
ind  canes  along  the  shore,  and  the  vegeta- 
ton  at  this  place  consisted  principally  of 
ehenopodiaccous  shrubs. 

December  85. — We  were  roused,  on 
Christmas  morning,  by  a  discharge  from  the 
small  artns  and  howituer,  with  which  our 
people  saluted  the  day ;  and  the  name  of 
which  we  bestowed  on  the  lake.  It  was  the 
first  time,  perhaps,  in  this  remote  and  deso- 
late region,  in  which  it  had  been  so  com- 
memorated. Always,  on  days  of  religious 
or  national  commemoration,  our  voyageurs 
expect  some  unusual  allowance  ;  and,  hav- 
ing nothing  else,  I  gave  them  each  a  little 
brandy,  (which  was  carefully  guarded,  as 
one  of  the  most  useful  articles  a  traveller 
can  carry,)  with  some  coflfee  and  sugar, 
which  here,  where  every  eatable  was  a  lux- 
ury, was  suflUcient  to  make  them  a  feast. 
The  day  was  sunny  and  warm ;  and,  re- 
ouming  our  journey,  we  crossed  some  slight 
dividing  grounds  into  a  similar  basin,  walled 
in  on  tne  right  by  a  lofty  mountain  ridge. 
The  plainly  beaten  trail  still  continued,  and 
occasionally  we  passed  camping  grounds  of 
th>  Indians,  which  indicated  to  me  that  we 
were  on  one  of  the  great  thoroughfares  of 
the  country.  In  the  afternoon  I  attempted 
to  travel  in  a  more  eastern  direction ;  but, 
after  a  few  laborious  miles,  was  beaten 
back  into  the  basin  by  an  impassable  coun- 
try. There  were  fresh  Indian  tracks  about 
the  valley,  and  last  night  a  horse  was  stolen. 
We  encamped  on  the  valley  bottom,  where 
there  was  some  creamlike  water  in  ponds, 
colored  by  a  clay  soil  and  frozen  over. 
Chenopodiaceous  shrubs  constKuted  the 
growth,  and  made  again  our  firewood.  The 
animals  were  driven  to  the  hill,  where  there 
was  tolerably  good  grass. 

December  26. — Our  general  course  was 
again  south.  The  country  consists  of 
larger  or  smaller  basins,  into  which  the 
mountain  waters  run  down,  forming  small 
lakes  ;  they  present  a  perfect  level,  from 
which  the  mountains  rise  immediately  and 
abrup^tly.  Between  the  successive  basins, 
the  dividing  grounds  are  usually  very  slight ; 
smd  it  is  probable  that,  in  the  seasons  of 
high  water,  u.any  of  these  basins  are  in 
communication.  At  such  times  there  is 
•▼idently  an  abundance  of  water,  though 


now  we  find  scarcely  more  than  the  dry 
beds.  On  either  side,  the  mountains, 
though  not  very  high,  appear  to  be  rocky 
and  sterile.  The  basin  in  which  we  were 
travelling  declined  towards  the  southwest 
corner,  where  the  mountains  indicated  a 
narrow  outlet ;  and,  turning  roun  oocky 
point  or  cape,  we  continued  up  u  lateral 
branch  valley,  in  which  we  encamped  at 
night  on  a  rapid,  pretty  little  stream  of 
fresh  water,  which  we  found  unexpectedly 
among  the  sage  near  the  ridge,  on  thfl 
right  side  of  the  valley.  It  was  bordered 
with  grassy  bottoms  and  clumps  of  willows, 
the  water  partially  frozen.  This  stream 
belongs  to  the  basin  we  had  left.  By  a 
partial  observation  to-night,  our  camp  was 
found  to  be  directly  on  the  42d  pai  del. 
To-night  a  horse  belonging  to  Carson,  one 
of  the  best  we  had  in  the  camp,  was  stolen 
by  the  Indians. 

December  "21. — We  continued  up  the 
valley  of  the  stream,  the  principal  branch 
of  which  here  issues  from  a  bed  of  high 
mountains.  We  turned  up  a  branch  to  the 
left,  and  fell  into  an  Indian  trail,  which 
conducted  us  by  a  good  road  over  open 
bottoms  along  the  creek,  where  the  snow 
was  five  or  six  inches  deep.  Gradually 
ascending,  the  trail  led  through  a  good 
broad  pass  in  the  mountain,  where  we  found 
the  snow  about  one  foot  deep.  There  wer^ 
some  remarkably  large  cedars  in  the  pass, 
which  were  covered  with  an  linusual  quan- 
tity of  frost,  which  we  supposed  might  pos- 
sibly indicate  the  neighborhood  of  water  ; 
and  as,  in  the  arbitrary  position  of  Mary's 
lake,  we  were  already  beginning  to  look 
for  it,  this  circumstance  contributed  to  our 
hope  of  finding  it  near.  Descending  from 
the  mountain,  we  reached  another  basin,  on 
the  flat  lake  bed  of  which  we  found  no 
water,  and  encamped  among  the  sage  on 
the  bordering  plain,  where  the  snow  was 
still  about  one  foot  deep.  Among  this  the 
grass  was  remarkably  green,  and  to-night 
the  animals  fared  tolerably  well. 

December  28. — The  snow  being  deep,  I 
had  determined,  if  any  more  horses  were 
stolen,  to  follow  the  tracks  of  the  Indians 
into  the  mountains,  and  put  a  temporary 
check  to  their  sly  operations  ;  but  it  did 
not  occur  again. 

Our  road  this  morning  lay  down  a  level 
valley,  bordered  by  steep  mountainous 
ridges,  rising  very  abru^  t'y  from  the  plain. 
Artemisia  was  the  principal  plant,  mingled 
with  Fremontia  and  the  chenopodiaceous 
shrubs.  The  artemisia  was  here  extremely 
large,  being  sometimes  a  foot  in  diameter 
and  eight  feet  high.  Riding  quietly  along 
over  the  snow,  we  came  suddenly  upon 
smokes  rising  among  these  bushes;  and, 
galloping  up,  we  found  two  huts,  opeo  «t 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[18M 


the  top,  and  loosely  bailt  of  sage,  whit^h 
appeared  to  have  been  deserted  at  (lie 
hiatant;  and,  looking  hastily  around,  we 
nw  several  Indians  on  the  crest  of  the 
ridge  near  by,  and  several  others  scramb- 
ling up  the  side-  We  had  come  upon  them 
so  suddenly,  that  they  had  been  woll-niph 
surprised  in  their  lodges.  A  sage  fire  wits 
burning  in  the  middle  ;  a  few  baskets  mnde 
of  straw  were  lying  about,  with  one  or  two 
rabbit  skins ;  and  there  was  a  little  ^rasH 
scattered  about,  on  which  they  had  been 
lying.  "  Tabibo — bo !"  they  shouted  from 
tne  hills — a  word  which,  in  the  Snake 
language,  signifies  white — and  remained 
looking  at  us  from  behind  the  rocka.  Car- 
son and  Godoy  rode  towards  the  hill,  but 
the  men  ran  off  like  deer.  They  had  been 
so  much  pressed,  that  a  woman  with  two 
children  had  dropped  behind  a  sage  bush 
near  the  lodge,  and  when  Carson  accident- 
ally stumbled  upon  her,  she  immediately 
began  screaming  in  the  extremity  of  fear, 
and  shut  her  eyes  fast,  to  avoid  seeing 
him.  She  wns  brought  back  to  the  lodge, 
and  we  endeavored  in  vain  to  open  a  com- 
munication with  the  men.  By  dint  of 
presents,  and  friendly  demonstrations,  she 
was  brought  to  calmness ;  and  we  found 
that  they  belonged  to  the  Snake  nation, 
speaking  the  language  of  that  people. 
Eight  or  ten  appeared  to  live  together, 
under  the  same  little  shelter ;  and  they 
seemed  to  have  no  other  subsistence  than 
the  roots  or  seeds  they  might  have  stored 
up,  and  the  hares  which  live  in  the  sage, 
and  which  they  are  enabled  to  track  through 
the  snow,  and  are  very  skilful  in  killing. 
Their  skins  afford  them  a  little  scanty  cov- 
ering. HerJing  together  among  bushes, 
and  crouching  almost  naked  over  a  little 
sage  fire,  using  their  instinct  only  to  pro- 
cure food,  these  may  be  considered,  among 
human  beings,  the  nearest  approach  to  the 
mere  animal  creation.  We  have  reason  to 
kelieve  that  these  had  never  before  seen 
Ihe  face  of  a  white  man. 

The  day  had  been  pleasant,  but  about 
two  o'clock  it  began  to  blow ;  and  crossing 
a  slight  dividing  ground  we  encamped  on 
the  sheltered  side  of  a  hill,  where  there 
was  good  bunch  grass,  having  made  a 
day's  journey  of  24  miles.  The  night 
closed  in,  threatening  snow  ;  but  the  large 
sage  bushes  made  bright  fires. 

JDecember  29. — The  morning  mild,  and 
at  4  o'clock  it  commenced  snowing.  We 
took  our  way  across  a  plain,  thickly  cover- 
ed with  snow,  towards  a  range  of  hills  in 
the  southeast.  The  sky  soon  became  so 
dark  with  snow,  that  little  could  be  seen  of 
the  surrounding  country ;  and  we  reached 
the  summit  of  the  hills  in  a  heavy  snow 
Aarm.    On  the  side  we  had  approached, 


this  had  appeared  to  be  only  a  ridge  of  low 
hills;  and  we  were  surprised  to  find  our- 
selves on  (he  summit  of  a  bed  of  broken 
mountains,  which,  as  far  as  tho  weather 
would  permit  us  to  see,  declined  rapidly  to 
some  low  country  ahead,  presenting  a 
dreary  and  savage  character;  and  for  a 
moment  1  looked  around  in  doubt  on  the 
wild  and  inhospitable  prospect,  scarcely 
knowing  what  road  to  tako  which  might 
conduct  us  to  some  place  of  shelter  for  the 
night.  Noticing  among  the  hills  tho  head 
of  a  grassy  hollow,  I  determined  to  follow 
it,  in  the  hope  that  it  would  conduct  us  to  a 
stream.  We  followed  a  winding  descent 
for  several  miles,  the  hollow  gradually 
broadening  into  little  meadows,  and  be- 
coming the  bed  of  a  stream  as  we  ad- 
vanced ;  and  towards  night  we  were  agree- 
ably surprised  by  tho  appearance  of  a  wU- 
low  grove,  where  we  found  a  sheltered 
camp,  with  water  and  excellent  and  abun- 
dant grass.  The  grass,  which  was  covered 
by  the  snow  on  the  bottom,  was  long  and 
green,  and  the  face  of  tho  mountain  had  a 
more  favorable  character  in  its  vegetation, 
being  smoother,  and  covered  with  sood 
bunch  grass.  The  snow  was  rJaep,  and  the 
night  very  cold.  A  broad  trai!  had  entered 
the  valley  from  the  right,  and  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  camp  wero  the  tracks 
where  a  considerable  party  of  Indians  had 
passed  on  horseback,  who  had  turned  out 
to  the  left,  apparently  with  the  view  of 
crossing  the  mountains  to  the  eastward. 

December  30. — After  following  the  stream 
for  a  few  hours  in  a  southeasterly  direc- 
tion, it  entercvi  a  canon  where  we  could  not 
follow;  but  u:?Lcrmined  not  to  leave  the 
stream,  we  searched  a  passage  below,  where 
we  could  regain  it,  and  entered  a  regulat 
narrow  valley.  The  water  had  now  more 
the  appearance  of  a  flowing  creek  ;  several 
times  we  passed  groves  of  willows,  and  ws 
began  to  feel  ourselves  out  of  all  difficulty. 
l:*'rom  our  position,  it  was  reasonable  to  con- 
clude that  this  stream  would  find  its  outlet 
in  Mary's  lake,  and  conduct  us  into  a  better 
country.  We  had  descended  rapidly,  and 
here  we  found  very  little  snow.  On  both 
sides,  the  mountains  showed  often  stupen- 
dous and  curious-looking  rocks,  which  at 
several  places  so  narrowed  the  valley,  that 
scarcely  a  pass  was  left  for  the  camp.  It 
was  a  singular  place  to  travel  through — shut 
up  in  the  earth,  a  sort  of  chasm,  the  linle 
strip  of  grass  under  our  feet,  the  rough 
walls  of  bare  rock  on  either  hand,  and  ths 
narrow  strip  of  sky  above.  The  grass  to- 
night was  abundant,  and  we  encamped  ip 
high  spirits. 

December  31. — After  an  hour's  ride  this 
morning,  our  hopes  were  once  more  de- 
stroyed.    The  valley  opened  out,  and  befora 


a  ridge  of  low 
3(1  to  find  our* 
bed  of  broken 
8  the  weather 
lined  rapidly  to 
,    preaenting    a 
ter ;   and  fur  a 
n  doubt  on  the 
spect,   scarcely 
0  which  might 
'  shelter  fur  the 
e  hills  the  head 
nined  to  follow 
conduct  us  to  a 
vinding  descent 
dIIow   gradually 
adows,  and  hi- 
Bam  as  we  ad- 
we  were  agree- 
irance  of  a  wil- 
ind   a   sheltered 
client  and  abun- 
lich  was  covered 
n,  was  long  and 
mountain  had  a 
in  its  vegetation, 
pred  with    good 
r&a  ojep,  and  the 
trai!  had  entered 
and  a  short  dis- 
vero    the   tracks 
y  of  Indians  had 
had  turned  out 
ith   the  view  of 
the  eastward, 
owing  the  stream 
itheasterly  direc- 
cre  we  could  not 
lot   to  leave  the 
age  below,  where 
itered  a  regulai 
had  now  more 
g  creek ;  several 
willows,  and  w« 
.  of  all  difficulty, 
easonabie  to  con- 
d  find  its  outlet 
us  into  a  better 
ded  rapidly,  and 
snow.     On  both 
ed  often  stupen- 
rocks,  which  at 
d  the  valley,  that 
the  camp.     It 
el  through — shut 
chasm,  the  linlo 
feet,  the   rough 
ler  hand,  and  the 
The  grass  to- 
we  encamped  ip 

iiour'«i  ride  this 

once  more  de« 

id  out,  and  before 


1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ir 


■•  again  lav  on*  of  the  dry  basins.  AAer 
aome  search,  we  discoTcred  a  high-water 
cutlet,  which  brought  us  in  a  few  miles,  and 
by  a  descent  of  several  hundred  feet,  into 
another  long  broad  basin,  in  which  we  found 
the  bed  of  a  stream,  and  obtained  sufficient 
water  by  cutting  the  ice.  The  grass  on  the 
bottoms  was  salt  and  unpalatable. 

Here  we  concluded  the  year  1843,  and 
our  new  year's  eve  was  rather  a  gloomy 
one.  The  result  of  our  journey  be^an  to  be 
very  uncertain ;  the  country  was  smgularly 
unfavorable  to  travel;  the  grasses  being 
frequently  of  a  very  unwholesome  charac- 
tor,  and  the  hoofs  of  our  animals  were  so 
worn  and  cut  by  the  rocks,  that  many  of 
them  were  lame,  and  could  scarcely  be  got 
along. 

Neifi  Year's  day,  1844. — We  continued 
down  the  valley,  between  a  dry-looking 
black  ridge  on  the  left  and  a  more  snowy 
and  high  one  on  the  right.  Our  road  was 
bad  along  the  bottom,  being  broken  by  gul- 
lies and  impeded  by  sage,  and  sandy  on  the 
hills,  where  there  is  not  a  blade  of  grass, 
nor  does  any  appear  on  the  mountains.  The 
soil  in  many  places  consists  of  a  fine  pow- 
dery sand,  covered  with  a  saline  efflores- 
cence ;  and  the  general  character  of  the 
country  is  desert.  During  the  day  we  di- 
rected our  course  towards  a  black  cape,  at 
the  foot  of  which  a  column  of  smoke  indi- 
cated hot  springs. 

January  2. — Wo  were  on  the  road  early, 
and  the  face  of  the  country  hidden  by  fall- 
ing snow.     We  travelled  along  the  bed  of 
(he  stream,  in  some  places  dry,  in  others 
covered  with  ice  ;  the  travelling  being  'ery 
I  bad,  through  deep  fine  sand,  renderec?  tena- 
cious by  a  mixture  of  clay.     The  tveather 
cleared  up  a  little  at  noon,  and  w^  reached 
the  hot  springs  of  which  we  ho^  seen  the 
Ivapor  the  day  before.     Therd  was  a  large 
[field  of  the  usual  salt  grass  here,  peculiar  to 
huch  places.     The  country  otherwise  is  a 
jperfect  barren,  without  a  blade  of  grass,  the 
lonly  plants  being  some  dwarf  Fremontias. 
IWe  passed  the  rocky  cape,  a  jagged  broken 
Ipoint,  bare  and  torr.     The  rocks  are  vol- 
Icanic,  and  the  hills  here  have  a  burnt  ap- 
Ipearance — cinders  and  coal  occasionally  ap- 
Ipearing  as  at  a  blacksmith's  forge.     We 
Icrossed  the  large  dry  bed  of  a  muddy  lake  in 
la  southeastcirly  direction,  and  encamped  at 
Inight    witJiout    water    and    without   grass, 
lamong  sage    bushes    covered  with   snow. 
iTho  heavy  road  made  several  mules  give 
lout  to-day  ;  and  a  horse,  which  had  made 
Ithe  journey  from  the  States    successfully 
|thus  far,  was  left  on  the  trail. 

January  3. — A  fog,  so  dense  that  we  could 
not  see  a  hundred  yards,  covered  the  coun- 
try, and  the  men  that  were  sent  out  after 

he  horses  were  bewildered  and  lost ;  and 
9 


we  were  consequently  detamsrf  -un)  tm- 
til  late  in  the  day.  Our  situa*  >  n»(t  now 
become  a  serious  one.  Wi:  >  reached 
and  run  over  the  position  where,  ..<  i  or#|g 
to  the  boat  maps  in  my  possession,  we  shoull 
have  found  Mary's  lake  or  river.  W« 
were  evidently  on  the  verge  of  the  desert 
which  had  been  reported  to  us  ;  and  thb  ap- 
pearance of  the  country  was  so  forbidding, 
that  1  was  afraid  to  enter  it,  and  determined 
to  bear  away  to  the  southward,  keeping 
close  along  the  mountains,  in  the  full  expec- 
tation of  reaching  the  Buenaventura  river. 
This  morning  I  put  every  man  in  the  camp 
on  foot — myself,  of  course,  among  the  rf^ 
— and  in  this  manner  lightened  by  dinribu- 
tion  the  loads  of  the  animals.  We  travelled 
seven  or  eight  miles  along  the  ridj"*  border- 
ing the  valley,  and  encamped  where  there 
were  a  few  bunches  of  grass  Jn  the  bed  of 
a  hill  torrent,  without  wate^.  There  were 
some  large  artemisias ;  o\xi  the  princisal 
plants  are  chenopodiaNOus  shrubs.  The 
rock  composing  the  moi'ntains  is  here 
changed  suddenly  ir^o  white  granite.  The 
fog  showed  the  t(¥>8  of  the  hills  at  sunset, 
and  stars  enoit^h  for  observations  in  the 
early  evening  ^nd  then  closed  over  us  as  be- 
fore.    Latiwde  by  observation,  40°  48'  16". 

January  4. — The  fog  to-day  was  stiU 
more  d^nse,  and  the  people  again  were  bo- 
wilde^d.  We  travelled  a  few  miles  around 
the  tvestern  point  of  the  ridge,  and  encamp- 
e(.'  where  there  were  a  few  tufts  of  grass, 
iut  no  water.  Our  animals  now  were  in  a 
very  alarming  state,  and  there  was  increas- 
ed anxiety  in  the  camp. 

January  5. — Same  dense  fog  continued, 
and  one  of  the  mules  died  in  camp  this 
morning.  I  have  had  occasion  to  remark, 
on  such  occasions  as  these,  that  animals 
which  are  about  to  die  leave  the  band,  and, 
coming  into  the  camp,  lie  down  about  the 
fires.  We  moved  to  a  place  where  there 
was  a  little  better  grass,  about  two  miles 
distant.  Taplin,  one  of  our  best  men,  who 
had  gone  out  on  a  scouting  excursion,  as- 
cended a  mountain  near  by,  and  to  his  great 
surprise  emerged  into  a  region  of  bright 
sunshine,  in  which  the  upper  parts  of  the 
mountain  were  glowing,  while  below  all  was 
obscured  in  the  darkest  fog. 

January  6. — The  fog  continued  the  same, 
and,  with  Mr.  Preuss  and  Carson,  I  as- 
cended the  mountain,  to  skctcii  the  leading 
features  of  the  country,  as  some  indication 
of  our  future  route,  while  Mr.  Fitzpatrick 
explored  the  country  below.  In  a  very 
short  distance  we  had  ascended  above  the 
mist,  but  the  view  obtained  was  not  very 
gratifying.  The  fog  had  partially  cleared 
off  from  below  when  we  reached  the  sum- 
mit ;  and  in  the  southwest  corner  of  a  ba- 
sin coaununicating  with  that  in  which  w* 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NAHRATIVa. 


[18M. 


luul  encamped,  we  saw  a  lul'ty  column  of 
•moke,  16  miles  distant,  indicating  the  |tro- 
•enoo  of  hot  Bprin^s.  Tlicro,  nlao,  ai)pearo(l 
to  be  the  outlet  of  thoHo  draining  channclH 
of  the  country  ;  and,  aa  hucIi  pluccH  ufTord- 
od  always  more  or  less  graus,  I  determined 
to  steer  in  that  direction.  The  ridge  wo 
had  ascended  appeared  to  bo  composed  of 
fragments  of  white  granite.  We  Haw  here 
traces  of  sheep  and  antelope. 

Entering  the  neighboring  valley,  and 
crossing  the  bed  of  another  lake,  after  a  hard 
day's  travel  over  ground  of  yielding  mud 
and  sand,  we  reached  the  springs,  where 
w«j  found  an  abundance  of  grass,  which, 
though  only  tolerably  good,  made  this  place, 
with  Inference  to  the  past,  a  refreshing  and 
agreeablt  spot. 

This  is  tTre  most  extraordinary  locality  of 
hot  springs  w%  had  met  during  the  journey. 
The  basin  of  II*-,  largest  one  has  a  circum- 
ference of  severid  hundred  feet ;  but  there 
is  at  one  extremity  u  circular  space  of  about 
fifteen  feet  in  diame^^r,  entirely  occupied 
by  the  boiling  water.  >  boils  up  at  irregu- 
lar intervals,  and  with  lauch  noise.  The 
water  is  clear,  and  the  sprit  (^  deep  ;  a  pole 
about  sixteen  feet  long  was  eaiiiy  immersed 
in  the  centre,  but  we  had  no  motns  of  form- 
ing a  good  idea  of  the  depth.  K  was  sur- 
rounded on  the  margin  with  a  bu-der  of 
green  grass,  and  near  the  shore  the  te«iper- 
ature  of  the  water  was  206°.  We  had  no 
means  of  ascertaining  that  of  the  centi'>, 
where  the  heat  was  greatest ;  but,  by  dis- 
persing the  water  with  a  pole,  the  tempera- 
ture at  the  margin  was  increased  to  208^, 
and  in  the  centre  it  was  doubtless  higher. 
By  driving  the  pole  towards  the  bottom,  the 
water  was  made  to  boil  up  with  increased 
force  and  noise.  There  are  several  other 
interesting  places,  where  vvai'3r  and  smoke 
or  gas  escape,  but  they  would  require  a 
fong  description.  The  water  is  impregna- 
ted with  common  salt,  but  not  so  much  as 
to  render  it  unfit  for  general  cooking  ;  and 
a  mixture  of  snow  made  it  pleasant  to 
drink. 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood,  the  val- 
ley bottom  is  covered  almost  exclusively 
with  chenopodiaceous  shrubs,  of  greater 
luxuriance,  and  larger  growth,  than  we  have 
seen  them  in  any  preceding  part  of  the 
journey. 

I  obtained  this  evening  some  astronomi- 
cal observations. 

Our  situation  now  required  caution.  In- 
cluding those  which  gave  out  from  the  in- 
jured condition  of  their  feet,  and  those  sto- 
len by  Indians,  we  had  lost,  since  leaving 
the  Dalles  of  the  Columbia,  fifteen  animals  ; 
and  of  these,  nine  had  been  left  in  the  last 
few  days.  I  therefore  determined,  until 
■re  should  reach  a  country  of  water  and  veg- 


etation, to  feel  oiir  way  ahead,  by  having 
the  liiir?  of  route  oxplored  some  nftonn  or 
tweni  nilcH  in  advance,  and  only  to  leave 
a  present  encampment  when  the  succeeding 
one  was  known. 

Taking  with  me  Godoy  and  Carson,  I 
made  to-day  a  thorough  exploration  of  the 
neighboring  valleys,  and  found  in  a  ravine 
in  the  bordering  mountains  a  good  camp- 
ing place,  where  was  water  m  springs,  and 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  grass  for  a  night. 
Overshadowing  the  springs  were  some 
trees  of  the  sweet  cotton-wood, which,  after 
a  long  interval  of  absence,  we  saw  again 
with  pleasure,  regarding  them  as  harbingers 
of  a  better  country,  'i  o  us,  they  were  elo- 
quent of  green  prairies  and  buffalo.  We 
found  here  a  broad  and  plainly  marked  trail, 
on  which  there  were  tracks  of  horses,  and 
we  appeared  to  have  regained  one  of  the 
thoroughfares  which  pass  by  the  watering 
places  of  the  country.  On  the  western 
mountains  of  the  valley,  with  which  this  of 
the  boiling  spring  communicates,  we  re- 
marked scattered  cedars — probably  an  indi- 
cation that  we  were  on  the  borders  of  the 
timbered  region  extending  to  the  Pacific. 
We  reached  the  camp  at  sunset,  after  a 
day's  ride  of  about  forty  miles.  The  horses 
we  rode  wore  in  good  order,  being  of  some 
that  were  kept  for  emergencies,  and  rarely 
used. 

Mr.  Prcuss  had  ascended  one  of  the 
mountains,  and  occupied  the  day  in  sketch- 
ing the  country  ;  and  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  had 
<bund,  a  few  miles  distant,  a  hollow  of  ex- 
ctllunt  grass  and  pure  water,  to  which  the 
aniintds  were  driven,  as  I  remained  another 
day  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  recruit 
their  8ti':>ngth.  Indians  appear  to  be  every- 
where prcwling  about  like  wild  animals,  and 
there  is  a  fiesh  trail  across  the  snow  in  the 
valley  near. 
Latitude  of  tl.<>  boiling  -springs,  40°  39'  46", 
On  the  9th  we  ciosaed  over  to  the  cotton- 
wood  camp.  Among  the  shrubs  on  the  hills 
were  a  few  bushes  of  ephedra  occidentalism 
which  afterwards  occurred  frequently  along 
our  road,  and,  as  usua\,  the  lowlands  were 
occupied  with  artemisia.  While  the  party 
proceeded  to  this  place,  Caison  and  myself 
reconnoitred  the  road  in  advance,  and  found 
another  good  encampment  for  the  following 
day. 

January  10. — We  continued  our  recon- 
noissance  ahead,  pursuing  a  south  directioD 
in  the  basin  along  the  ridge  ;  the  camp  fol- 
lowing slowly  after.  On  a  large  trail  there 
is  never  any  doubt  of  finding  suitable  placei 
for  encampments.  We  reached  the  end  of 
the  basin,  where  we  found,  in  a  hollow  of 
the  mountain  which  enclosed  it,  an  abun- 
dance of  good  bunch  grass.  Leaving  a  »ig- 
psl  for  the  party  to  encamp,  we  continued 


appeaJ 
rocks  [ 

•Tl 

rock  wl 
which,! 
men: 
Caru 
Carlj 
Cxici 
Alui^ 
Silicb 


[18«4. 

ad,  bj  having 
jtne  nftoen  or 
1  only  to  tears 
the  Buccceding 

and  Carson,  I 
iloration  of  the 
Hul  in  a  ravine 
a  pood  camp- 
in  springs,  and 
Bs  for  a  night. 
r.s    were    some 
iod,which,  after 
we  saw  again 
ni  as  harbinger! 
,  tliey  were  elo- 
d  buffalo.     We 
Illy  marked  trail, 
]  of  horses,  and 
lined  one  of  the 
by  the  watering 
3n  the   western 
ith  which  this  of 
inicates,   we   re- 
probably  an  indi- 
ic  borders  of  the 
J  to  the  Pacific, 
t  sunset,  after  a 
lies.    The  horses 
er,  being  of  some 
Bncies,  and  rarely 

ided  one  of  th« 
he  day  in  sketch- 
.  Fitzpatrick  had 
t,  a  hollow  of  ex- 
ater,  to  which  the 
remained  another 
nrtunity  to  recruit 
ippear  to  be  every- 
e  wild  animals,  and 
)S3  the  snow  in  the 

.prings,400  39'46". 

over  to  the  cotton- 
j  shrubs  on  the  hills 
fhedra  occidentalis, 
ed  frequently  along 

the  lowlands  were 
..  While  the  party 
,  Carson  and  myself 

advance,  and  found 
snt  for  the  following 

sntinued  ouv  recon- 
ing  a  south  -lirection 
idge  ;  the  camp  fol- 
n  a  large  trail  thero 
iding  suitable  placei 
reiiched  the  end  of 
,nd,  in  a  hollow  of 
•losed  it,  an  abnn- 
Leaving  a  sig- 
we  continues 


1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ound, 


nc 

•ass. 

icamp: 


«or  way  np  the  hollow,  intending  ^  to  aee 
what  lay  Myond  the  mountain.  The  hol- 
low waa  several  milet  long,  forming  a  good 
paaa,  the  anow  deepening  to  about  a  foo;  ns 
we  neared  the  summit.  Beyond,  a  defile 
between  the  mountains  descended  rapidly 
about  two  thousand  feet ;  and,  filling  up  all 
the  lower  space,  was  a  sheet  of  green  wa- 
ter, some  twenty  miles  broad.  It  broke  up- 
on our  eycH  like  the  ocean.  The  neighbor- 
ing peaks  rose  high  above  us,  and  we  as- 
cended one  of  them  to  obtain  a  better  view. 
The  waves  were  curling  in  the  breeze,  and 
their  dark-green  color  s.iowed  it  to  bo  a 
body  of  deep  water.  For  a  long  time  we 
•at  enjoying  the  view,  for  we  had  become 
fatigued  with  mountains,  and  the  free  ex- 

fanse  of  moving  waves  was  very  grateful, 
t  was  set  like  a  gem  in  the  mountains, 
which,  from  our  position,  seemed  to  enclose 
it  almost  entirely.  At  the  western  end  it 
communicated  with  the  line  of  basins  we 
had  left  a  few  days  since  ;  and  on  the  op- 
^site  side  it  swept  a  ridge  of  snowy  moun- 
tains, the  foot  of  the  great  Sierra.  Its  po- 
sition at  first  inclined  us  to  believe  it  Mary's 
lake,  but  the  rugged  mountains  were  so  en- 
tirely discordant  with  descriptions  of  its  low 
rushy  shores  and  open  country,  that  we 
concluded  it  some  unknown  body  of  water  ; 
which  it  afterwards  proved  to  be. 

On  our  road  down,  the  next  day,  we  saw 
herds  of  mountain  sheep,  and  encamped  on 
a  little  stream  at  the  mouth  of  the  defile, 
about  a  mile  from  the  margin  of  the  water, 
to  which  we  hurried  down  immediately. 
The  water  is  so  slightly  salt,  that,  at  first, 
we  thought  it  fresh,  and  would  be  pleasant 
to  drink  when  no  other  could  be  had.  The 
shore  was  rocky — a  handsome  beach,  which 
reminded  us  of  the  sea.  On  some  large 
granite  boulders  that  were  scuuuicU  about 
the  shore,  I  remarked  a  coating  of  a  calca- 
reous substance,  in  some  places  a  few  inch- 
es and  in  others  a  foot  in  thickness.  Near 
our  camp,  the  hills,  which  were  of  primitive 
rock,  were  also  covered  with  this  substance, 
which  was  in  too  great  quantity  on  the 
mountains  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  to 
have  been  deposited  by  water,  and  has  the 
appearance  of  having  been  spread  over  the 
rocks  in  mass.* 

•  The  label  attached  to  a  specimen  of  this 
rock  was  lost ;  but  I  append  an  analysis  of  tliat 
which,  from  memory,  I  judge  to  be  the  speci- 
men: 
Carbonate  of  lime    ....       77.31 
Carbonate  of  magnesia    •        ■        .        5.25 
Cxide  of  iron   .        .        .  1.60 

Alumina 1.05 

Silica 8.55 

Orgaaio  matteri  water,  and  lorn  6.24 

100.00 


Where  we  had  halted,  appeared  to  be  • 
favorite  camping  j)lace  for  Indians. 

January  13. — We  followed  again  a  broaJ 
Indian  trail  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  tm 
the  southward.  For  a  short  space  we  had 
room  enough  in  the  bottom  ;  hut,  after  trar- 
elling  a  short  distance,  the  water  swept  th* 
foot  of  the  precipitous  mountains,  the  peak* 
of  which  are  about  3,000  feet  above  th« 
lake.  The  trail  wound  along  the  base  of 
these  precipices,  against  which  the  water 
dashed  below,  by  a  way  nearly  impractica- 
ble  for  the  howitzer.  During  a  greater  part 
of  the  morning  the  lake  was  nearly  hid  by  a 
snow  storm,  and  the  waves  broke  on  th« 
narrow  beach  in  a  long  line  of  foaming  sur^ 
five  or  six  feet  high.  The  day  was  nn- 
pleasantly  cold,  the  wind  driving  the  snow 
sharp  against  our  faces ;  and,  having  ad« 
vanced  only  about  12  miles,  we  encamped 
in  a  bottom  formed  by  a  ravine,  covered 
with  good  graEs,  which  was  fresh  and  green. 

We  did  not  get  the  howitzer  into  camp, 
but  were  obliged  to  leave  it  on  the  rocks 
until  morning.  We  saw  several  flocks  of 
sheep,  but  did  not  succeed  in  killing  any. 
Ducks  were  riding  on  the  waves,  ana  sev- 
eral largo  fish  were  seen.  The  mountain 
sides  were  crusted  with  the  calcareous  ce- 
ment previously  mentioned.  There  were 
ciienopodiaceous  and  other  shrubs  along  the 
beach  ;  and,  at  the  foot  of  tho  rocks,  an 
abundance  of  ephedra  occidentalis,  whose 
dark-green  color  makes  them  evergreens 
among  the  shrubby  growth  of  the  lake. 
Towards  evening  the  snow  began  to  fall 
heavily,  and  the  country  had  a  wintry  ap- 
pearance. 

Tho  next  morning  the  snow  was  rapidly 
melting  under  a  warm  sun.  Part  of  the 
morning  was  occupied  in  bringing  up  the 
gun  ;  and,  making  only  nine  miles,  we  en- 
camped on  tho  shore,  opposite  a  very  re- 
markable rock  in  the  lake,  which  had  at- 
tracted our  attention  for  many  miles.  It 
rose,  according  to  our  estimate,  600  feet 
above  the  water ;  and,  from  the  point  we 
viewed  it,  presented  a  pretty  exact  outline 
of  the  great  pyramid  of  Cheops.  Like 
other  rocks  along  ih<s  shore,  it  seemed  to 
be  incrusted  with  calcareous  cement.  This 
striking  feature  suggested  a  name  for  the 
lake  ;  and  I  called  it  Pyramid  lake  ;  and 
though  it  may  be  deemed  by  some  a  fanciful 
resemblance,  I  can  undertake  to  say  that 
the  future  traveller  will  find  much  more 
striking  resemblance  between  this  rock  and 
the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  than  there  id  be- 
tween them  and  the  object  from  which  they 
take  their  name. 

The  elevation  of  this  lake  above  the  sea 
is  4,890  feet,  being  nearly  700  feet  higher 
than  the  Great  Salt  lake,  from  which  it  Ilea 
nearly  west,  and  distant  about  eight  degiMt 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[Uil 


of  longitude.  The  position  and  elevation 
of  this  lake  make  it  an  object  of  geographi- 
cal  interest.  It  is  the  nearest  lake  to  the 
western  rim,  as  the  Great  Salt  lake  is  to 
the  eastern  rim,  of  the  Great  Basin  which 
lies  between  the  base  of  tlie  Rocky  moun- 
tains and  the  Sierra  Nevada ;  and  the  ex- 
tent and  character  of  which,  its  whole  cir- 
cumference and  contents,  it  is  so  desirable 
to  know. 

The  last  of  the  cattle  which  had  been 
driven  from  the  Dalies  was  killed  here  for 
food,  and  was  still  in  good  condition. 

January  15. — A  few  poor-looking  Indians 
made  their  appearance  this  morning,  and 
we  succeeded  in  getting  one  into  the  camp. 
He  was  naked,  with  the  exception  of  a  tu- 
Bic  of  hare  skins.  He  told  us  that  there 
was  a  river  at  the  end  of  the  lake,  hut  that 
he  lived  in  the  rooks  near  by.  From  the 
few  words  our  people  could  understand,  he 
spoke  a  dialect  of  the  Snake  language ;  but 
we  were  not  able  to  understand  enough  to 
know  whether  the  river  ran  in  or  out,  or 
what  was  its  course ;  consequently,  there 
still  remained  a  chance  that  this  might  be 
Mary's  lake. 

Groves  of  large  cotton- wood,  which  we 
could  see  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  indica- 
ted that  it  was  a  stream  of  considerable 
siae ;  and,  at  all  events,  we  had  the  pleasure 
to  know  that  now  wc  were  in  a  country 
where  human  beings  could  live.  Accom- 
panied by  the  Indian,  we  resumed  our  road, 
passing  on  the  way  several  caves  in  the 
rock  where  there  were  baskets  and  seeds  ; 
but  the  people  had  disappeared.  We  saw 
also  horse  tracks  along  the  shore. 

Early  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  were 
approaching  the  groves  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  three  or  four  Indians  met  us  on  the 
trail.  We  had  an  explanatory  conversation 
in  signs,  and  then  moved  on  together  to- 
wards the  village,  which  the  chief  said  was 
encamped  on  the  bottom. 

Reaching  the  groves,  we  found  the  inlet 
of  a  large  fresh-water  stream,  and  all  at 
once  were  satisfied  that  it  was  neither 
Mary's  river  nor  the  waters  of  the  Sacra- 
mento, but  that  we  hid  discovered  a  large 
interior  lake,  which  the  Indians  informed 
us  had  no  outlet.  It  is  about  35  miles  long ; 
and,  by  the  mark  of  the  water  line  along  the 
shores,  the  spring  level  is  about  12  feet 
above  its  present  waters.  The  chief  com- 
menced speaking  in  a  loud  voice  as  we  ap- 
proached ,  and  parties  of  Indians  armed 
with  bows  and  arrows  issued  from  the 
thickets.  We  selected  a  strong  place  for 
our  encampment — a  grassy  bottom,  nearly 
enclosed  by  the  river,  and  furnished  with 
abundant  firewood.  The  village,  a  collec- 
tion of  straw  huts,  was  a  few  hundred  yards 
higher  up.     An  Indian  brought  in  a  large 


fish  to  trade,  which  we  had  the  inexpressible 
satisfaction  to  find  was  a  salmon  trout ;  we 
gathered  round  him  eagerly.  The  Indians 
were  amused  with  our  delight,  and  imme- 
diately brought  in  numbers;  so  that  the 
camp  was  soon  stocked.  Their  flavor  was 
excellent — superior,  in  fact,  to  that  of  any 
fish  I  have  ever  known.  They  were  of 
extraordinary  size — about  as  large  as  the 
Columbia  river  salmon — generally  from  two 
to  four  feet  in  length.  From  the  informa- 
tion of  Mr.  Walker,  who  passed  among 
some  lakes  lying  more  to  the  eastward,  this 
fish  is  common  to  the  streams  of  the  inland 
lakes.  He  subsequently  informed  me  that 
he  had  obtained  them  weighing  six  pounds 
when  cleaned  and  the  head  taken  oflf;  which 
corresponds  very  well  with  the  size  of  those 
obtained  at  this  place.  They  doubtless 
formed  the  subsistence  of  these  people,  who 
hold  the  fishery  in  exclusive  possession. 

I  remarked  that  one  of  them  gave  a  fish 
to  the  Indian  we  had  first  seen,  which  he 
carried  off  to  his  family.  To  them  it  was 
probably  a  feast ;  being  of  the  Digger  tribe, 
and  having  no  share  in  the  fishery,  living 
generally  on  seeds  and  roots.  Although 
this  was  a  time  of  the  year  when  the  fish 
have  not  yet  become  fat,  they  were  excel- 
lent, and  we  could  only  imagine  what  they 
are  at  the  proper  season.  These  Indiaris 
were  very  fat,  and  appeared  to  live  an  easy 
and  happy  life.  They  crowded  into  the 
camp  more  than  was  consistent  with  our 
safety,  retaining  always  their  arms  ;  and,  as 
they  made  some  unsatisfactory  demonstra- 
tions, they  were  given  to  understand  that 
they  would  not  be  permitted  to  come  armed 
into  the  camp ;  and  strong  guards  were  kept 
with  the  horses.  Strict  vigilance  was  main- 
tained among  the  people,  and  one-third  at  a 
time  were  kept  on  guard  during  the  night. 
There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  these  dis- 
positions, uniformly  preserved,  conducted 
our  party  securely  through  Indians  famed 
for  treachery. 

In  the  mean  time,  such  a  salmon-tront 
feast  as  is  seldom  seen  was  going  on  in  our 
camp  ;  and  every  variety  of  manner  in  which 
fish  could  be  prepared — boiled,  fried,  and 
roasted  in  the  ashes — was  put  into  requisi- 
tion ;  and  every  few  minutes  an  Indian 
would  be  seen  running  off  to  spear  a  fresh 
one.  Whether  these  Indians  had  seen 
whites  oefore,  we  could  not  be  certain ;  but 
they  were  evidently  in  communication  with 
others  who  had,  as  one  of  them  had  some 
brass  buttons,  and  we  noticed  several  other 
articles  of  civilized  manufacture.  We  could 
obtain  from  them  but  little  information  re- 
specting the  cH>uiitry.  They  made  on  the 
ground  a  drawing  of  the  river,  which  they 
represented  as  issuing  from  another  lake  in 
the  mountains  three  or  four  days  distant,  in 


xe  inexpressible 
mon  trout;  we 
The  Indiana 
rht,  and  imme- 
s;  so  that  the 
'heir  flavor  was 
,  to  that  of  any 

They  were  of 
as  large  as  the 
nerally  from  two 
)in  the  informa- 
I  passed   among 
le  eastward,  this 
,m3  of  the  inland 
iformed  me  that 
;hing  six  pounds 
taken  off;  which 
the  size  of  those 

They  doubtless 
hese  people,  who 
re  possession, 
them  gave  a  fish 
t  seen,  which  he 

To  them  it  was 
the  Digger  tribe, 
he  fishery,  living 
roots.     Although 
lar  when  the  fish 
they  were  excel- 
nagine  what  they 
.     These  Indiana 
■ed  to  live  an  easy 
crowded  into  the 
nsistent  with  our 
leir  arms  ;  and,  as 
ia,ctory  demonstra- 
3  understand  that 
«d  to  come  armed 
f  guards  were  kept 
giiance  was  main- 
and  one-third  at  a 
during  the  night, 
ubt  that  these  dis- 
served, conducted 
gh  Indians  famed 

jh  a  salmon-trout 
as  going  on  in  our 
)f  manner  in  which 
-boiled,  fried,  and 
s  put  into  requisi- 
linutes  an  Indian 
ff  to  spear  a  fresh 
ndians  had  seen 
lot  be  certain ;  but 
ivnmunication  with 
)f  them  had  some 
ticed  several  other 
facture.  We  could 
tie  information  re- 
rhey  made  on  the 
river,  which  they 
im  another  lake  in 
lur  days  distant,  io 


1844.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


193 


t  direction  a  little  west  of  south  ;  beyond 
which,  they  drew  a  mountain ;  and  further 
ctill,  two  rivers  ;  on  one  of  which  they  told 
as  that  people  like  ourselves  travelled. 
Whether  they  alluded  to  the  settlements  on 
»he  Sacramento,  or  to  a  party  from  the 
United  States  which  had  crossed  the  Sierra 
ibout  three  degrees  to  the  southward,  a  few 
years  since,  I  am  unable  to  determine. 

I  tried  unsuccessfully  to  prevail  on  some 
of  them  to  guide  us  for  a  few  days  on  the 
road,  but  they  only  looked  at  each  other  and 
laughed. 

The  latitude  of  our  encampment,  which 
nay  be  considered  the  mouth  of  the  inlet, 
«  39°  51'  13"  by  our  observations. 

January  16. — This  morning  we  continued 
tfur  journey  along  this  beautiful  stream, 
-^ich  we  naturally  called  the  Salmon  Trout 
firer.  Large  trails  led  up  on  either  side  ; 
the  stream  was  handsomely  timbered  with 
large  cotton-woods ;  and  the  waters  were 
very  clear  and  pure.  We  were  travelling 
along  the  mountains  of  the  great  Sierra, 
which  rose  on  our  right,  covered  with  snow  ; 
but  below  the  temperature  was  mild  and 
pleasant.  We  saw  a  number  of  dams  which 
the  Indians  had  constructed  to  catch  fish. 
After  having  made  about  18  miles,  we  en- 
camped under  some  large  cotton-woods  on 
ihe  river  bottom,  where  there  was  tolerably 
good  grass. 

January  17. — This  morning  we  left  the 
river,  which  here  issues  from  the  moun- 
tains on  the  west.  With  every  stream  I 
now  expected  to  see  the  great  Buenaven- 
tura ;  and  Carson  hurried  eagerly  to  search, 
on  every  one  we  reached,  for  beaver  cut- 
tings, which  he  always  maintained  we 
should  find  only  on  waters  that  ran  to 
the  Pacific ;  and  the  absence  of  such  signs 
was  to  him  a  sure  indication  that  the  water 
had  no  outlet  from  the  great  basin.  We 
followed  the  Indian  trail  through  a  tolera- 
bly level  country,  with  small  sage  bushes, 
which  brought  us,  after  20  miles  journey, 
to  another  large  stream,  timbered  with 
cotton-wood,  and  flowing  also  out  of  the 
mountains,  but  running  more  directly  to  the 
eastward. 

On  the  way  we  surprised  a  family  of 
Indians  in  the  hills ;  but  the  man  ran  up 
the  mountain  with  rapidity  ;  and  the  woman 
Wds  so  terrified,  and  kept  up  such  a  con- 


tinued screaming,  that 


we 
were 


could  do  noth- 
obliged  to  let 


mg  with   her,   and 
her  go. 

January  18. — There  were  Indian  lodges 
and  fish  dams  on  the  stream.  There  were 
no  beaver  cuttings  on  the  river  ;  but  below, 
it  turned  round  to  the  right ;  and,  hoping 
that  it  would  prove  a  branch  of  the  Buena- 
ventura, we  followed  it  down  for  about 
three  hours,  and  encamped. 


I  rode  out  with  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  and  Car- 
ton to  reconnoitre  the  country,  which  had 
evidently  been  alarmed  by  the  news  of  oar 
appearance.  This  stream  joined  with  the 
open  valley  of  another  to  the  eastward  ;  but 
which  way  the  main  water  ran,  it  was  im- 
possible to  tell.  Columns  of  smoke  rose 
over  the  country  at  scattered  intervals — 
signals  by  which  the  Indians  here,  as  else- 
where, communicate  to  each  other  that 
enemies  are  in  the  country.  It  is  a  signal 
of  ancient  and  very  universal  application 
among  barbarians. 

Examining  into  the  condition  of  the  ani- 
mals when  I  returned  into  the  camp,  I 
found  their  feet  so  much  cut  up  by  the 
rocks,  and  so  many  of  them  lame,  that  it 
was  evidently  impossible  that  they  could 
cross  the  country  to  the  Rocky  mountains. 
Every  piece  of  iron  that  could  be  used  for 
the  purpose  had  been  converted  into  nails, 
and  we  could  make  no  further  use  of  the 
shoes  we  had  remaining.  I  therefore  de- 
termined to  abandon  my  eastern  course, 
and  to  cross  the  Sierra  Nevada  into  the 
valley  of  the  Sacramento,  wherever  a  prac- 
ticable pass  could  be  found.  My  decision 
was  heard  with  joy  by  the  people,  and  dif- 
fused new  life  throughout  the  camp. 

Latitude,  by  observation,  39°  24'  16". 

January  19. — A  great  number  of  smokes 
are  still  visible  this  morning,  attesting  at 
once  the  alarm  which  our  appearance  had 
spread  among  these  people,  and  their  igno- 
rance of  us.  If  they  knew  the  whites, 
they  would  understand  that  their  only 
object  in  coming  among  them  was  to  trade, 
which  required  peace  and  friendship  ;  but 
they  have  nothing  to  trade — consequently, 
nothing  to  attract  the  white  man ;  hence 
their  fear  and  flight. 

At  daybreak  we  had  a  heavy  snow  ;  bat 
sat  out,  and,  returning  up  the  stream,  went 
out  of  our  way  in  a  circuit  over  a  little 
mountain ;  and  encamped  on  the  same 
stream,  a  few  miles  above,  in  latitude  39° 
19'  21"  by  observation. 

January  20. — To-day  we  continued  up 
the  stream,  and  encamped  on  it  close  to  the 
mountains.  The  freshly  fallen  snow  was 
covered  with  the  tracks  of  Indians,  who 
had  descended  from  the  upper  waters,  prob- 
ably called  down  by  the  smokes  in  the 
plain. 

We  ascended  a  peak  of  the  range,  which 
commanded  a  view  of  this  stream  behind 
the  first  ridge,  where  it  was  winding  its 
course  through  a  somewhat  open  valley, 
and  I  sometimes  regret  that  I  did  not  maJce 
the  trial  to  cross  here ;  but  while  we  had 
fair  weather  below,  the  mountaine!  were 
darkened  with  falling  snow,  and,  feeling  un- 
willing to  encounter  them,  we  turned  away 
again  to  the  southward.    In  that  directioa 


1S4 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844 


we  travelled  the  next  day  orer  a  tolerably 
lerel  country,  having  always  the  high 
mountains  on  the  west.  There  was  but 
tittle  snow  or  rock  on  the  ground  ;  and, 
after  having  travelled  24  miles,  we  en- 
camped again  on  another  large  stream, 
running  off  to  the  northward  and  eastward, 
to  meet  that  we  had  left.  It  ran  through 
broad  bottoms,  having  a  fine  meadow-land 
appearance. 

Latitude  39°  01'  53". 

January  22. — We  travelled  up  the  stream 
for  about  14  miles  to  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, from  which  one  branch  issued  in  the 
southwest,  the  other  flowing  from  SSE. 
along  their  base.  Leaving  the  camp  be- 
low, we  ascended  the  range  through  which 
the  first  stream  passed,  in  a  canon ;  on  the 
western  side  was  a  circular  valley,  about 
15  miles  long,  through  which  the  stream 
wound  its  way,  issuing  from  a  gorge  in  the 
main  mountain,  which  rose  abruptly  beyond. 
The  valley  looked  yellow  with  faded  grass  ; 
and  the  trail  we  had  followed  was  visible, 
making  towards  the  gorge,  and  this  was 
evidently  a  pass ;  but  again,  while  all  was 
bright  sunshine  on  the  ridge  and  on  the 
valley  where  we  were,  the  snow  was 
falling  heavily  in  the  mountains.  I  de- 
termined to  go  still  to  the  southward,  and 
encamped  on  the  stream  near  the  forks ; 
the  animals  being  fatigued  and  the  grass 
tolerably  good. 

The  rock  of  the  ridge  we  had  ascen''ed 
is  a  compact  lava,  assuming  a  granitic  .ap- 
pearance and  structure,  and  containing,  in 
some  places,  small  nodules  of  obsidian.  So 
far  as  composition  and  aspect  are  concerned, 
the  rock  in  other  parts  of  the  ridge  appears 
to  be  granite  ;  but  it  is  probable  that  this  is 
only  a  compact  form  of  lava  of  recent  ori- 
gin. 

By  observation,  the  elevation  of  the  en- 
campment was  5,020  feet ;  and  the  latitude 
380  49'  54". 

January  23. — We  moved  along  the  course 
of  the  other  branch  towards  the  southeast, 
the  country  affording  a  fine  road  ;  and,  pass- 
ing some  slight  dividing  grounds,  descended 
towards  the  valley  of  another  stream.  There 
was  a  somewhat  rough-looking  mountain 
ahead,  which  it  appeared  to  issue  from,  or 
to  enter — we  could  not  tell  which  ;  and  as 
the  course  of  the  valley  and  the  inclination 
of  the  ground  had  a  favorable  direction,  we 
were  sanguine  to  find  here  a  branch  of  the 
Buenaventura;  but  were  again  disappointed, 
finding  it  an  inland  water,  on  whicli  we  en- 
camped after  a  day's  journey  of  24  miles. 
It  was  eviaent  that,  from  the  time  we  de- 
scended into  the  plain  at  Summer  hke,  we 
had  been  flanking  the  great  range  of  moun- 
tains which  divided  the  Great  Basin  from 
the  waters  of  the  Pacific  ;  and  that  the  con- 


tinued succession,  and  almost  connection, 
of  lakes  and  rivers  which  we  encountered, 
were  the  drainings  of  that  range.  Its  rains, 
springs,  and  snows,  would  sufficiently  ac- 
count for  these  lakes  and  streams,  numerous 
as  they  were. 

January  24. — A  man  was  discovered  run* 
ning  towards  the  camp  as  we  were  about  to 
start  this  morning,  who  proved  to  be  an  In- 
dian of  rather  advanced  age — a  sort  of  for- 
lorn hope,  who  seemed  to  have  been  worked 
up  into  the  resolution  of  visiting  the  stran- 

fers  who  were  passing  through  the  country, 
[e  seized  the  hand  of  the  first  man  he  met 
as  he  came  up,  out  of  breath,  and  held  on, 
as  if  to  assure  himself  of  protection.  He 
brought  with  him  in  a  little  skin  bag  a  few 
pounds  of  the  seeds  of  a  pine  tree,  which 
to-day  we  saw  for  the  first  time,  and  which 
Dr.  'Torrey  has  described  as  a  new  species, 
under  the  name  of  pinus  monophyllus ;  in 
popular  language,  it  might  be  called  the  nut 
pine.  We  purchased  them  all  from  him. 
The  nut  is  oily,  of  very  agreeable  flavor, 
and  must  be  very  nutritious,  as  it  constitutes 
the  principal  subsistenceof  the  tribes  among 
which  we  were  now  travelling.  By  a  pres- 
ent of  scarlet  cloth,  and  other  striking  arti- 
cles, wc  prevailed  upon  this  man  to  be  our 
guide  of  two  days'  journey.  As  clearly  as 
possible  by  signs,  we  made  him  understand 
our  object ;  and  he  engaged  to  conduct  us 
in  sight  of  a  good  pass  which  he  knew. 
Here  we  ceased  to  hour  the  Shoshonee  lan- 
guage— that  of  this  man  being  perfectly 
unintelligible.  Several  Indians,  who  had 
been  waiting  to  see  what  reception  he  would 
meet  with,  now  came  into  camp  ;  and,  ac- 
companied by  the  new-comers,  we  resumed 
our  journey. 

The  road  led  us  up  the  creek,  which  here 
becomes  a  rather  rapid  mountain  stream, 
fift^  feet  wide,  between  dark-looking  hills 
without  snow  ;  but  immediately  beyond  them 
rose  snovy  mountains  on  either  side,  tim- 
bered principally  with  the  nut  pine.  On  the 
lower  grounds,  the  general  height  of  this 
tree  is  twelve  to  twenty  feet,  and  eight 
inches  the  greatest  diameter ;  it  is  rather 
branching,  and  has  a  peculiar  and  singular 
but  pleasant  odor.  We  followed  the  river 
for  only  a  short  distance  along  a  rocky  trail, 
and  crossed  it  at  a  dam  which  the  Indians 
made  us  comprehend  had  been  built  to  catch 
salmon  trout.  The  snow  and  ice  were 
heaped  up  against  it  three  or  four  feet  deep 
entirely  across  the  stream. 

Leaving  here  the  stream,  which  runs 
through  impassable  canons,  we  continued 
our  road  over  a  very  broken  country,  pass- 
ing through  a  low  gap  between  the  snowy 
mountains.  The  rock  which  occurs  imme- 
diately in  the  pass  has  the  appearance  of 
impure  sandstone,  containing  scales  of  black 


(18M 

St  connection, 
e  encountered^ 
ige.  Its  rains, 
sufficiently  ac- 
iams,  numerous 

discovered  rua> 
B  were  about  to 
ed  to  be  an  In- 
—a  sort  of  for- 
ve  been  worked 
iting  the  stran- 
igh  the  country, 
irst  man  he  met 
h,  and  held  on, 
protection.  He 
skin  bag  a  few 
line  tree,  which 
time,  and  wiiich 
s  a  new  species, 
nonophijllus ;  in 
be  called  the  nut 
n  all  from  him. 
igreeable  flavor, 
,  as  it  constitutes 
the  tribes  among 
ing.  By  a  pres- 
her  striking  arti- 
lis  man  to  be  our 
r.  As  clearly  as 
;  him  understand 
ed  to  conduct  us 
which  he  knew. 
,e  Shoshonee  Ian- 
being  perfectly 
ndians,  who  had 
3ception  he  would 
)  camp  ;  and,  ac- 
ners,  we  resumed 

creek,  which  here 
mountain  stream, 
lark-looking  hills 
ately  beyond  them 
either  side,  tim- 
nut  pine.    On  the 
ral  height  of  this 
T  feet,  and   eight 
eter;  it  is  rather 
iliar  and  singular 
bllowed  the  river 
,long  a  rocky  trail, 
vhich  the  Indians 
been  built  to  catch 
)w  and  ice   were 
3  or  four  feet  deep 

:eam,  which  runs 
)ns,  we  continued 
ken  country,  pass- 
etween  the  snowy 
hich  occurs  imme- 
ihe  appearance  of 
ling  scales  of  black 


1844.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


fk 


mica.  This  may  be  only  a  stratified  lava. 
On  issuing  from  the  gap,  the  compact  lava, 
and  other  volcanic  products  usual  in  th 
country,  again  occurred.  We  descended 
from  the  gap  into  a  wide  valley,  or  rather 
basin,  and  encamped  on  a  small  tributary  to 
the  last  stream,  on  which  there  was  very 
good  grass.  It  was  covered  with  such  thick 
ice,  that  it  required  some  labor  with  pick- 
axes to  make  holes  for  the  animals  to  drink. 
The  banks  are  lightly  wooded  with  willow, 
and  on  the  upper  bottoms  are  sage  and  Fre- 
montia  with  ephedra  occidentalis,  which  be- 
ffins  to  occur  more  frequently.  The  day 
nas  been  a  summer  one,  warm  and  pleasant ; 
no  snow  on  the  trail,  which,  as  we  are  all 
on  foot,  makes  travelling  more  agreeable. 
The  hunters  went  into  the  neighboring 
movntains,  but  found  no  game.  We  have 
five  Indians  in  camp  to-night. 

January  25. — The  morning  was  cold  and 
bright,  and  as  the  sun  rose  the  day  became 
beautiful.  A  party  of  twelve  Indians  came 
down  from  the  mountains  to  trade  pine  nuts, 
of  which  each  one  carried  a  little  bag. 
These  seemed  now  to  be  the  staple  of  the 
country  ;  and  whenever  we  met  an  Indian, 
his  friendly  salutation  consisted  in  offering 
a  few  nuts  to  eat  and  to  trade  :  their  only 
arms  were  bows  and  flint-pointed  arrows. 
It  appeared  that  in  almost  all  the  valleys  the 
neighboring  bands  were  at  war  with  each 
other ;  and  we  had  some  difficulty  in  pre- 
vailing on  our  guides  to  accompany  us  on 
this  day's  journey,  being  at  war  with  the 
people  on  the  other  side  of  a  large  snowy 
mountain  which  lay  before  us. 

The  general  level  of  the  country  appear- 
ed to  be  getting  higher,  and  we  were  gradu- 
ally entering  the  heart  of  the  mountains. 
Accompanied  by  all  the  Indians,  we  ascend- 
ed a  long  ridge,  and  reached  a  pure  spring 
at  the  edge  of  the  timber,  where  the  In- 
dians had  waylaid  and  killed  an  antelope, 
and  where  the  greater  part  of  them  left  us. 
Our  pacific  conduct  had  quieted  their  alarms ; 
and  though  at  war  among  each  other,  yet 
all  confided  in  us — thanks  to  the  combined 
effects  of  power  and  kindness — for  our  arms 
inspired  respect,  and  our  little  presents  and 
good  treatment  conciliated  their  confidence. 
Here  we  suddenly  entered  snow  six  inches 
deep,  and  the  ground  wgs  a  little  rocky  with 
volcanic  fragments,  the  mountain  appearing 
to  be  composed  of  such  rock.  The  timber 
consists  principally  of  nut  pines,  (piniis  mo- 
nophyllus,)  which  hsre  are  of  larger  size — 
12  to  15  inches  in  diameter;  heaps  of  cones 
lying  on  the  ground,  where  the  Indians 
have  gathered  the  seeds. 

The  snow  deepened  gradually  as  we  ad- 
vanced. Our  guides  wore  out  their  mocca- 
sins ;  and,  putting  one  of  them  on  a  horse, 
we  enjoyed  the  unusual  sight  of  an  Indian 


who  could  not  ride.  He  could  not  erea 
guide  the  animal,  and  appeared  to  have  no 
knowledge  of  horses.  The  snow  was  three 
or  four  feet  deep  in  the  summit  of  the  pass ; 
and  from  this  point  the  guide  pointed  out 
our  future  road,  declining  to  go  any  further. 
Below  us  was  a  little  valley ;  and  beyond 
this  the  mountains  rose  higher  still,  one 
ridge  above  another,  presenting  a  rude  and 
rocky  outline.  We  descended  rapidly  to 
the  valley  ;  the  snow  impeded  us  but  little  ; 
yet  it  was  dark  when  we  reached  the  foot 
of  the  mountain. 

The  day  had  been  so  warm,  that  our  moc- 
casins were  wet  with  melting  snow;  but 
here,  as  soon  as  the  sun  begins  to  decline, 
the  air  gets  suddenly  cold,  and  we  had  great 
difficulty  to  keep  our  feet  from  freezing — 
our  moccasins  being  frozen  perfectly  stiff. 
After  a  hard  day  s  march  of  27  miles,  we 
reached  the  river  some  time  after  dark,  and 
found  the  snow  about  a  foot  deep  on  the 
bottom — ^the  river  Iteing  entirely  frozen  over. 
We  found  a  comfortable  camp,  where  there 
were  dry  willows  abundant,  and  we  soon 
had  blazing  fires.  A  little  brandy,  which  I 
husbanded  with  great  care,  remained,  and  I 
do  not  know  any  medicine  n)ore  salutary,  or 
any  drink  (except  coffee)  more  agreeable, 
than  this  in  a  cold  night  after  a  hard  day's 
march.  Mr.  Preush  questioned  whether  the 
famed  nectar  even  possessed  so  exquisite  a 
flavor.     All  felt  it  to  be  a  reviving  cordial. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  sun  had  not 
yet  risen  over  the  mountains,  the  thermom- 
eter was  2^  below  zero  ;  but  the  sky  was 
bright  and  pure,  and  the  weather  changed 
rapidly  into  a  pleasant  day  of  summer.  I 
remained  encamped,  in  order  to  examine  the 
country,  and  allow  the  animals  a  day  of  rest, 
the  grass  being  good  and  abundant  under 
the  snow. 

The  river  is  fifty  to  eighty  feet  wide, 
with  a  lively  current,  and  very  clear  water. 
It  forked  a  little  above  our  camp,  one  of  its 
branches  coming  directly  from  the  south. 
At  its  head  appeared  to  be  a  handsome  pass ; 
and  from  the  neighboring  heights  we  could 
see,  beyond,  a  comparatively  low  and  open 
country,  which  was  supposed  to  form  the 
valley  of  the  Buenaventura.  The  other 
branch  issued  from  a  nearer  pass,  in  a 
direction  S.  75°  W.,  forking  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain,  and  receiving  part  of  its 
waters  from  a  little  lake.  I  was  in  advance 
of  the  camp  when  our  last  guides  had  lefi 
us ;  but,  so  far  as  could  be  understood,  this 
was  the  pass  which  they  had  indicated,  and, 
in  company  with  Carson,  to-day  I  set  out  to 
explore  it.  Entering  the  range,  we  con- 
tinued in  a  northwesterly  direction  up  the 
valley,  which  here  bent  to  the  right.  It 
was  a  pretty,  open  bottom,  locked  between 
lofty   mountains,  which  supplied  frequent 


m 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


(itit. 


gbrtuns  as  we  advanced.  On  the  lower 
fwt  they  we.c  severed  with  nut-pine  trees, 
and  above  with  masses  of  pine,  which  we 
0MilY  recognised,  from  the  darker  color  of 
the  foliage.  From  the  fresh  trails  which 
occurred  frequently  during  the  morning, 
deer  appeared  to  be  remarkably  numerous 
in  the  mountain. 

We  had  now  entirely  left  the  desert 
country,  and  were  on  the  verge  of  a  region 
which,  extending  westward  to  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific,  abounds  in  large  game,  and  is 
covered  with  a  singulai  luxuriance  of  vege- 
table life. 

The  little  stream  grew  rapidly  smaller, 
and  in  about  twelve  miles  we  had  reached 
its  head,  the  last  water  coming  immediately 
out  of  the  mountain  on  the  right ;  and  this 
spot  was  selected  for  our  next  encampment. 
The  grass  showed  we'l  in  sunny  places ; 
but  in  colder  situations  the  snow  was  deep, 
and  began  to  occur  in  b  inks,  through  which 
the  horses  found  some  ilifficulty  in  breaking 
a  way. 

To  the  left,  the  open  valley  continued  in 
a  southwesterly  direction,  with  a  scarcely 
perceptible  ascent,  forming  a  beautiful  pass  ; 
the  exploration  of  which  we  deferred  until 
the  next  day,  and  returned  to  the  camp. 

To-day  an  Indian  passed  through  the  val- 
ley, on  his  way  into  the  mountains,  where 
he  showed  us  was  his  lodge.  We  compre- 
hended nothing  of  his  language  ;  and,  though 
he  appeared  to  have  no  fear,  passing  along 
in  full  view  of  the  camp,  he  was  indisposed 
to  hold  any  communication  with  us,  but 
showed  the  way  he  was  going,  and  pointed 
for  us  to  go  on  our  road. 

By  observation,  the  latitude  of  this  en- 
campment was  38°  18'  01",  and  the  eleva- 
tion above  the  sea  6,310  feet. 

January  27. — Leaving  the  camp  to  fol- 
low slowlyj  with  directions  to  Carson  to  en- 
camp at  the  place  agreed  on,  Mr.  Fitzpatrick 
and  myself  continued  the  reconnoissance. 
Arriving  at  the  head  of  the  stream,  we  be- 
gan to  enter  the  pass — passing  occasionally 
through  open  groves  of  large  pine  trees,  on 
the  warm  side  of  the  defile,  where  the  snow 
had  melted  away,  occasionally  exposing  a 
large  Indian  trail.  Continuing  along  a  nar- 
row meadow,  we  reached  in  a  few  miles  the 
gate  of  the  pass,  where  there  was  a  narrow 
strip  of  prairie,  about  fifty  yards  wide,  be- 
tween walls  of  granite  rock.  On  either  side 
losn  the  mountains,  forming  on  the  left  a 
rugged  mass,  or  nucleus,  wholly  covered 
with  deep  snow,  presenting  a  glittering  and 
icy  surface.  At  the  time,  we  supposed  this 
to  be  the  point  into  which  they  were  gath- 
ered between  the  two  great  rivers,  and  from 
which  the  waters  Howed  off  to  the  bay. 
This  v-sthe  icy  and  cold  side  of  the  pass, 
ud  the  rays  of  the  sun  hardly  touched  the 


snow.  On  the  left,  the  mountains  rose  inle 
peaks  ;  but  they  were  lower  and  secondary, 
and  the  country  had  a  somewhat  more  opea 
and  lighter  character.  On  the  right  were 
several  hot  springs,  which  appeared  remark- 
able in  such  a  place.  In  going  through,  we 
felt  impressed  by  the  majesty  of  the  moun- 
tain, along  the  huge  wall  of  which  we  were 
riding.  Here  there  was  no  snow ;  but  im- 
mediately beyond  was  a  deep  bank,  through 
which  we  dragged  our  horses  with  consider- 
able effort.  We  then  immediately  struck 
upon  a  stream,  which  gathered  itself  rapid- 
ly, and  descended  quick  ;  and  the  valley  did 
not  preserve  the  open  character  of  the  other 
side,  appearing  below  to  form  a  caflon.  We 
therefore  climbed  one  of  the  peaks  on  the 
right,  leaving  our  horses  below ;  but  we 
were  so  much  shut  up,  that  we  did  not  ob- 
tain an  extensive  view,  and  what  we  saw 
was  not  very  satisfactory,  and  awakened 
considerable  doubt.  The  valley  of  the 
stream  pursued  a  northwesterly  direction, 
appearing  below  to  turn  sharply  to  the  right, 
beyond  which  further  view  was  cut  off.  It 
was,  nevertheless,  resolved  to  continue  our 
road  the  next  day  down  this  valley,  which 
we  trusted  still  would  prove  that  of  the 
middle  stream  between  the  two  {jreat  rivers. 
Towards  the  summ*'  of  this  peak,  the  fields 
of  snow  were  four  or  five  feet  deep  on  the 
northern  side ;  and  we  saw  several  large 
hares,  which  had  on  their  winter  color,  be- 
ing white  as  the  snow  around  tliem. 

The  winter  day  is  short  in  the  mountains, 
the  sun  having  but  a  small  space  of  sky  to 
travel  over  in  the  visible  part  above  our 
horizon  ;  and  the  moment  his  rays  are  gone, 
the  air  is  keenly  cold.  The  interest  of  our 
work  had  detained  us  long,  and  it  was  after 
nightfall  when  we  reached  the  camp. 

January  28. — To-day  we  went  through 
the  pass  with  all  the  camp,  and,  after  a  hard 
day's  journey  of  twelve  miles,  encamped  on 
a  high  point  where  the  snow  had  been  blown 
oS,  and  the  exposed  grass  afforded  a  scanty 
pasture  for  the  animals.  Snow  and  broken 
country  together  made  our  travelling  diffi- 
cult :  we  were  often  compelled  to  make 
large  circuits,  and  ascend  the  highest  and 
most  exposed  ridges,  in  order  to  avoM 
snow,  which  in  other  places  was  banked  up 
to  a  great  depth. 

During  the  day  a  few  Indians  were  seen 
circling  around  us  on  snow  shoes,  and 
skimming  along  like  birds  ;  but  we  could 
not  bring  them  within  speaking  distance. 
Godey,  who  was  a  little  distance  from  the 
camp,  had  sat  down  to  tie  his  moccasins, 
when  he  heard  a  low  wiiistle  near,  and, 
looking  up,  saw  two  Indians  half  hiding  be- 
hind a  rock  about  forty  yards  distant ;  they 
would  not  allow  him  to  approach,  but 
.  breaking  into  a  laugh,  skimmed  oflf  over 


[1«M. 

Uins  rose  iato 
and  secondary, 
hat  more  opo« 
the  right  were 
peared  remark- 
ng  through,  we 
^  of  the  moun- 
which  we  were 
snow ;  but  im- 
p  bank, through 
s  with  consider- 
ediately  struck 
ed  itself  rapid- 
d  the  valley  did 
5ter  of  the  other 
a  a  caflon.   We 
e  peaks  on  the 
lelow;    but  we 

we  did  not  ob- 
1  what  we  saw 

and  awakened 

valley  of  the 
sterly  direction, 
rply  to  the  right, 
was  cut  off.    It 

to  continue  our 
lis  valley,  which 
ove  that  of  the 
two  {jreat  rivers, 
i  peak,  the  fields 
feet  deep  on  the 
w  several  large 
winter  color,  be- 
nd them, 
in  the  mountains, 

space  of  sky  to 

part  above  our 
lis  rays  are  gone, 
le  interest  of  our 
,  and  it  was  after 

the  camp. 

!Q  went  through 

and,  after  a  hard 
les,  encamped  on 
w  had  been  blown 
afforded  a  scanty 
3now  and  broken 
travelling  difR- 
npelled  to  make 
the  highest  and 
order  to  avoM 
is  was  banked  up 

idians  were  seen 
now  shoes,  and 
s  ;  but  we  could 
)eaking  distance, 
istance  from  the 
ie  his  moccasins, 
liislle  near,  and, 
ns  half  hiding  be- 
irds  distant ;  they 
0  approach,  but 
ikimmed  off  over 


ItU.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRA'ilVE. 


IIV 


tke  snow,  seeming  to  have  no  idea  of  the 
power  of  fire-arms,  and  thinking  them- 
selves perfectly  safe  when  beyond  arm's 
leneth. 

To-night  we  did  not  succeed  in  getting 
the  howitzer  into  camp.  This  was  the 
most  laborious  day  we  had  yet  passed 
through,  the  steep  ascents  and  deep  snow 
exhausting  both  men  and  animals.  Our 
single  chronometer  had  stopped  during  the 
day,  and  itf<  error  in  time  occasioned  the 
loss  of  an  eclipse  of  a  satellite  this  even- 
inc.  It  had  not  preserved  the  rate  with 
which  we  started  from  the  Dalles,  and  this 
will  account  for  the  absence  of  longitudes 
along  this  interval  of  our  journey. 

January  29. — From  this  height  we  could 
see,  at  a  considerable  distance  below,  yel- 
low spots  in  the  valley,  which  indicated 
that  there  was  not  much  snow.  One  of 
these  places  we  expected  to  reach  to- 
night ;  and  some  time  being  required  to 
bring  np  the  gun,  I  went  ahead  with  Mr. 
Fitzpatrick  and  a  few  men,  leaving  tlie 
camp  to  follow,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Prenss. 
We  followed  a  trail  down  a  hollow  where 
the  Indians  had  descended,  the  snow  being 
so  deep  that  we  never  came  near  the 
grouu'l ;  but  this  only  made  our  descent 
the  easier,  and,  when  we  reached  a  little 
affluent  to  the  river  :it  the  bottom,  we  sud- 
denly fo'.iiul  ourselves  in  presence  of  eight 
or  ten  Indians.  They  seemed  to  be  watch- 
ing our  motions,  and,  like  the  others,  at 
first  were  indisposed  to  let  us  ajiproach, 
ranging  themselves  like  birds  on  a  fallen 
log  on  the  hillside  above  our  heads,  where, 
being  out  of  reach,  they  thought  themselves 
safe.  Our  friendly  demeanor  reconciled 
them,  and,  when  we  got  near  enough,  they 
immediately  stretched  out  to  us  handfuls 
of  pine  nuts,  which  seemed  an  exercise  of 
hospitality.  We  made  them  a  few  pres- 
ents, and,  telling  us  that  their  village  was  a 
few  miles  below,  they  went  on  to  let  their 
people  know  what  we  were.  The  principal 
stream  still  running  through  an  impractica- 
ble canon,  we  ascended  a  very  steep  hill, 
which  proved  afterwards  the  last  and  fatal 
obstacle  to  our  little  howitzer,  which  was 
finally  abandoned  at  this  place.  We  passed 
through  a  small  meadow  a  few  miles  be- 
low, crossing  the  river,  which  depth,  swift 
current,  and  rock,  made  it  difficult  to  ford  ; 
and,  after  a  few  more  milt'  of  very  difficult 
trail,  issued  into  a  larger  prairie  bottom,  at 
the  farther  end  of  which  we  encamped,  in 
a  position  rendered  strong  by  rocks  and 
trees.  The  lower  parts  of  the  mountain 
were  covered  with  the  nut  pine.  Several 
Indians  appeared  on  the  hillside,  recon- 
noitring the  camp,  and  were  induced  to 
eome  in  ;  others  came  in  during  the  after- 
noon ;  and  in  the  evening  we  held  a  coun- 


cil. The  Indianif'  immediately  made  it 
clear  that  the  waters  on  which  we  were 
also  belong  to  the  Great  Basin,  in  the  edge 
of  which  we  had  been  since  the  17th  oJ 
December  ;  and  it  became  evident  that  we 
had  still  the  great  ridge  on  the  left  to  crou 
before  we  could  reach  the  Pacific  waters. 

We  explained  to  the  Indians  that  we 
were  endeavoring  to  find  a  passage  across 
the  mountains  into  the  country  of  the 
whites,  whom  we  were  going  to  see ;  and 
told  them  that  we  wished  them  to  bring  UB 
a  guide,  to  whom  we  would  give  presents 
of  scarlet  cloth,  and  other  articles,  which 
were  shown  to  them.  They  looked  at  the 
reward  we  offered,  and  conferred  with  each 
other,  but  pointed  to  the  snow  on  the 
mountain,  and  drew  their  hands  across  their 
necks,  and  raised  them  above  their  heads, 
to  show  the  depth  ;  and  signified  that  it 
was  impossible  for  us  to  pet  through.  They 
made  signs  that  we  nuist  go  to  ilie  south- 
ward, over  a  pass  through  a  lower  range, 
which  tliey  pointed  out ;  there,  they  said, 
at  the  end  of  one  day's  travel,  we  would 
find  peoj)le  wiio  lived  near  a  pass  in  the 
great  mountain ;  and  to  tiiat  point  they 
engaged  to  furnish  us  a  guide.  They  ap- 
peared to  have  a  confused  idea,  from  re- 
port, of  whites  who  lived  on  the  other  side 
of  tiie  mountain  ;  and  once,  they  told  us, 
about  two  years  ago,  a  party  of  twelve  men 
like  ourselves  had  ascended  their  river, 
and  crossed  to  the  other  waters.  They 
pointed  out  to  us  where  they  had  crossed  ; 
but  then,  tliey  said,  it  was  summer  time  ; 
but  now  it  would  be  impossible.  I  believe 
that  this  was  a  party  led  by  Mr.  Chiles, 
one  of  the  only  two  men  whom  I  know  to 
have  passed  through  the  California  moun- 
tains from  the  interior  of  the  Basin — 
Walker  being  the  other ;  and  botli  were 
engaged  upwards  of  twenty  days,  in  the 
summer  time,  in  getting  over.  Chiles's 
destination  was  the  bay  of  San  Francisco, 
to  which  he  descended  by  the  Stanislaus 
river;  and  Walker  subsequently  informed 
me  that,  like  myself,  descendmg  to  the 
southward  on  a  more  eastern  line,  day 
after  day  he  was  searching  for  the  Bue- 
naventura, thinking  that  he  had  found  it 
with  every  new  stream,  until,  like  me,  he 
abandoned  ail  idea  of  its  existence,  and, 
turning  abruptly  to  the  right,  crossed  the 
great  chain.  These  were  both  western 
men,  animated  with  the  spirit  of  explora- 
tory enterprise  which  characterizes  that 
people. 

The  Indians  brought  in  during  the  even- 
ing an  abundant  supply  of  pine  nuts,  which 
we  traded  from  them.  When  roasted, 
their  pleasant  flavor  made  them  an  agreea> 
ble  addition  to  our  now  scanty  store  of 
provisions,  which  were  reduced  to  a  TOiy 


Its 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[18U. 


low  ebb.  Our  principal  stock  was  in  peas, 
which  it  is  nut  necessary  to  say  contain 
scarcely  any  nutriment.  Wo  had  still  a 
little  flour  left,  some  coffee,  and  a  quantity 
of  sugar,  which  I  reserved  as  a  defence 
against  starvation. 

The  Indians  informed  us  that  at  certain 
seasons  they  have  fisli  in  tlieir  waters, 
which  we  supposod  to  be  salmon  trout ;  lor 
the  remainder  of  tlic  year  they  live  upon 
the  pine  nuts,  which  form  tlieir  great  winter 
subsistence — a  portion  being  always  at 
hand,  shut  up  in  the  natural  storehouse  of 
the  cones.  At  present,  they  were  presented 
to  us  as  a  whole  people  living  upon  this 
simple  vegetable. 

The  other  division  of  the  party  did  not 
some  in  to-night,  but  encamped  in  the  up- 
per meadow,  and  arrived  the  next  morning. 
They  had  not  succeeded  in  getting  the 
howitzer  beyond  the  place  mentioned,  and 
where  it  had  been  left  by  Mr.  Preuss  in 
obedience  to  my  orders  ;  and,  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  snow  banks  and  snow  fields  still 
ahead,  foreseeing  the  inevitable  detention 
to  which  it  would  subject  us,  I  reluctantly 
determined  to  leave  it  theT3  for  the  time. 
It  was  of  the  hind  invented  by  the  French 
for  the  mountain  part  of  their  war  in  Al- 
giers ;  and  the  distance  it  had  come  with 
as  proved  how  well  it  was  adapted  to  its 
purpose.  We  left  it,  to  the  great  sorrow 
of  the  whole  party,  who  were  grieved  to 
part  with  a  companion  which  had  made 
the  whole  distance  from  St.  Louis,  and 
commanded  respect  for  us  on  some  critical 
occasions,  and  which  might  be  needed  for 
the  same  purpose  again. 

January  30. — Our    guide,  who    was   a 

Jroung  man,  joined  us  this  morning ;  and, 
eaving  our  encampment  late  in  the  day, 
we  descended  the  river,  which  immediately 
opened  out  into  a  broad  valley,  furnishing 
good  travelling  ground.  In  a  short  distance 
we  passed  the  village,  a  collection  of  straw 
huts ;  and  a  few  miles  below,  the  guide 
pointed  out  the  place  where  the  whites  had 
been  encamped  before  they  entered  the 
mountain.  With  our  late  start  we  made 
but  ten  miles,  and  encamped  on  the  low 
rirer  bottom,  where  there  was  no  snow,  but 
a  great  deal  of  ice ;  and  we  cut  piles  of 
long  grass  to  lay  under  our  blankets,  and 
fires  were  made  of  large  dry  willows, 
groves  of  which  wooded  the  stream.  The 
river  took  here  a  northeasterly  direction, 
and  through  a  spur  from  the  mountains  on 
the  left  was  the  gap  where  we  were  to  pass 
the  next  day. 

Jmnuary  31. — We  took  our  way  over  a 

Eintly  rising  ground,  the  dividmg  ridge  be- 
g  tolerably  low ;  and  travelling  easily 
•long  a  broad  trail,  in  twelve  or  fourteen 
■dies  reached  the  upper  part  of  the  pass, 


when  it  began  to  snow  thickly,  with  verj 
cold  weather.  The  Indians  had  only  th« 
usual  scanty  cotrering,  and  appeared  to  suf- 
fer  greatly  from  the  cold.  All  left  us,  ex- 
cept our  guide.  Half  hidden  by  tlie  storm, 
the  mountains  looked  dreary  .  and,  as  night 
began  to  approach,  the  guide  showed  great 
reluctance  to  go  forward.  I  placed  him 
between  two  rifles,  for  the  way  began  to  be 
difficult.  Travelling  a  little  farther,  we 
struck  a  ravine,  which  the  Indian  saio 
would  conduct  us  to  the  river ;  and  as  the 
poor  fellow  KuiTered  greatly,  shivering  in 
the  snow  which  fell  upon  his  naked  skin,  I 
would  not  detain  him  any  longer ;  and  he 
ran  olT  to  the  mountain,  where  he  said 
there  was  a  hut  near  by.  He  had  kept  the 
blue  and  scarlet  cloth  I  had  given  him 
tightly  rolled  up,  preferring  rather  to  endure 
the  cold  than  to  get  them  wet.  In  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  one  of  the  men  had 
his  foot  frost-bitten  ;  and  about  dark  we  had 
the  satisfaction  to  reach  the  bottoms  of  a 
stream  timbered  with  large  trees,  among 
which  we  found  a  sheltered  camp,  with  an 
abundance  of  such  grass  as  the  season  af- 
forded for  the  animals.  We  saw  before  us, 
in  descending  from  the  pass,  a  great  continu 
ous  range,  along  which  stretched  the  valley 
of  the  river ;  the  lower  parts  steep,  and  dark 
with  pines,  while  above  it  was  hidden  io 
clouds  of  snow.  This  we  felt  instantly  satisfi- 
ed was  the  central  ridge  of  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
the  great  California  mountain,  which  only 
now  intervened  between  us  and  the  waters 
of  the  bay.  We  had  made  a  forced  march 
of  26  miles,  and  three  mules  had  given  out 
on  the  road.  Up  to  this  point,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  stolen  by  Indians,  we  had 
lost  none  of  the  horses  which  had  beeo 
brought  from  the  Columbia  river,  and  a 
number  of  these  were  still  strong  and  in  tol- 
erably good  order.  We  had  now  67  ani- 
mals in  the  band. 

We  had  scarcely  lighted  our  fires,  when 
the  camp  was  crowded  with  nearly  naked 
Indians  ;  some  of  them  were  furnished  with 
long  nets  in  addition  to  bows,  and  appeared 
to  have  been  out  on  the  sage  hills  to  hunt 
rabbits.  These  nets  were  perhaps  30  to  40 
feet  long,  kept  upright  in  the  ground  by 
slight  sticks  at  intervals,  and  were  made 
from  a  kind  of  wild  hemp,  very  much  re- 
sembling in  manufacture  those  common 
among  the  Indians  of  the  Sacramento  val- 
ley. They  came  r.mong  us  without  any  fear, 
and  scattered  themselves  about  the  fires, 
mainly  occupied  in  gratifying  their  astonish* 
ment.  I  was  struck  by  the  singular  ap* 
pearance  of  a  row  of  about  a  dozen,  wha 
were  sitting  on  their  haunches  perched  on 
a  log  near  one  of  the  fires,  with  their  quiot 
sharp  eyes  following  every  motion. 

We  gathered  together  a  few  of  tho  i 


buef< 


[18U. 

kly,  with  very 
had  only  th« 
ppeaied  to  suf- 
\.\\  left  us,  ex- 
1  by  tlie  storm, 
.  and,  as  night 
showed  great 
I   placed  him 
ay  hegan  to  be 
le    farther,  w« 
ic   Indian    saio 
er ;  and  as  the 
t,  shivering  in 
s  naked  skin,  I 
longer ;  and  he 
ivhcre    he    said 
le  iiad  kept  the 
lad    given    him 
rather  to  endure 
I  wet.      In  the 
of  the  men  had 
i)ut  dark  we  had 
le  bottoms  of  a 
je  trees,  among 
1  camp,  with  aa 
the  season  af- 
e  saw  before  ua, 
a  great  continu 
itched  the  valley 
i  steep,  and  dark 
t  was  hidden  ia 
t  instantly  satisfi- 
le  Sierra  Nevada, 
tain,  which  only 
i  and  the  waters 
i  a  forced  march 
les  had  given  out 
oint,  with  the  ex- 
Indians,  we  had 
which  had  been 
bia   river,  and  a 
strong  and  in  tol- 
had  now  67  ani- 

d  our  fires,  when 
^ith  nearly  naked 
sre  furnished  with 
iws,  and  appeared 
sage  hills  to  hunt 
!  perhaps  30  to  40 
in  the  ground  by 
,  and  were  made 
ip,  very  much  re- 
3  those  common 
!  Sacramento  val- 
3  without  any  fear, 
3  about  the  fires, 
ing  their  astonish* 
the  singular  ap* 
tout  a  dozen,  who 
nches  perched  on 
J,  with  their  quiofe 
ry  motion, 
a  few  of  the 


1844.] 


CAPT.  FUKM(»\  T'S  NAkK  Al'h  K. 


intelligent  of  the  Indians,  and  held  this  even- 
ing an  interesting  council.  I  explained  to 
them  my  intentions.  I  told  them  that  we 
bad  come  from  a  very  far  country,  having 
been  travelling  now  nearly  u  year,  and  that 
we  were  desirous  simply  to  go  across  the 
mountain  into  the  country  of  the  other 
whites.  There  were  two  who  appeared 
particularly  intelligent — one,  a  somewhat 
old  man.  He  told  me  thitt,  before  the  snows 
fell,  it  was  six  sleeps  to  the  place  where 
the  whites  lived,  but  that  now  it  was  im- 
possible to  cross  the  mountain  on  account 
of  the  deep  snow ;  and  showing  us,  as  the 
others  had  done,  that  it  was  over  our  heads, 
he  urged  us  strongly  to  follow  the  course 
of  the  river,  which  he  said  would  conduct 
us  to  a  lake  in  which  there  were  many  large 
fish.  There,  he  said,  were  many  people  ; 
there  way  no  snow  on  tiie  ground  ;  and  we 
might  remain  there  until  tlie  spring.  l''rom 
their  dosc^riptions,  we  were  enabled  to  judge 
that  we  had  encamped  on  the  upper  waler 
of  the  Salmon  Trout  river.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  say  that  our  coniuuiiiication 
was  only  hy  sii^ns,  as  we  iindcrslood  iio- 
thiniT  of  llioir  laiigiKirjo  ;  but  llicy  spoke. 
jotwitlislun(iiii;x,  rapidly  and  velienifntly, 
jxplaiiiiiiij  what  tlicy  c  -iidi.'rcd  the  lolly 
if  our  inlontions,  and  uryinjj  us  to  go  down 
•0  the  lake.  Tci/i-rc,  a  word  si5.riiifying 
snow,  we  vorv'  pooh  learned  to  kaow,  iVoni 
■■ts  fioquoiil  repetition.  I  told  iiiin  lluit  the 
Ofien  and  iIk^  hov.-os  were  sli-oiig,  and  that 
^'(i  woidd  hroalv  a  road  throiii'h  the  .snow; 
and  spreadiii'T  before  liiiii  our  b:i!e.s  of  scar- 
let cloth,  and  trinkets,  siiow(?d  him  what  we 
would  ffive  for  a  guide.  It  was  necessary 
?o  obtain  one,  if  possible  :  for  I  had  deter- 
mined here  to  attempt  the  passage  of  the 
mountain.  Pulling  a  bunch  of  grass  froin 
the  ground,  after  a  short  discussion  among 
themselves,  the  old  man  made  us  compre- 
hend, that  if  we  could  break  through  the 
snow,  at  the  end  of  three  days  we  would 
s7ome  down  upon  grass,  which  he  showed  us 
would  be  about  six  inches  high,  and  where 
*he  ground  was  entirely  free.  So  far,  he 
said,  he  had  been  in  himting  for  elk ;  but 
fteyond  that  (and  he  closed  his  eyes)  he  had 
seen  nothing ;  but  there  was  one  among 
4hem  who  had  been  to  the  whites,  and,  go- 
ing out  of  the  lodge,'  he  returned  with  a 
roung  man  of  very  intelligent  appearance. 
Here,  said  he,  is  a  young  man  who  has 
seen  the  whites  with  his  own  eyes ;  and  he 
swore,  first  by  the  sky,  and  then  by  the 
ground,  that  what  he  said  was  true.  With 
a  large  present  of  goods,  we  prevailed  upon 
this  young  man  to  be  our  guide,  and  he  ac- 
quired among  us  the  name  Melo — a  word 
signifying  friend,  which  they  used  very  fre- 
fuently.  He  was  thinly  clad,  and  neariy 
barefoot ;  his  moccasins  being  about  worn 


out.  We  uave  liiin  >kins  to  make  *  aeW 
pair,  and  to  enable  him  to  perform  his  un- 
dertaking  to  us.  The  Indians  remained  ia 
the  camp  during  the  night,  and  we  kept  the 
guide  and  two  others  to  sleep  in  the  lodge 
with  us — Carson  lying  across  the  door,  and 
having  made  them  comprehend  the  useofoui 
fire-arms.  The  snow,  which  had  intermit- 
ted in  the  evening,  commenced  falling  again 
in  the  course  of  the  night,  and  it  snowed 
steadily  all  day.  In  the  morning  I  acquaint- 
ed the  men  with  my  decision,  and  explained 
to  them  that  necessity  required  us  to  make 
a  great  effort  to  clear  the  mountains.  I  re- 
minded them  of  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Sacramento,  with  which  they  were  familiar 
from  the  descriptions  of  Carson,  who  had 
been  there  some  fifteen  years  ago,  and  who, 
in  our  late  privations,  had  delighted  us  in 
speaking  of  it.j  rich  pastures  and  abounding 
fraiito,  and  drew  a  vivid  contrast  beweeii  it.s 
siu'nnicr  climate,  less  tli.u  a  iimiiiiiMl  miles 
distant,  and  the  falling  snow  around  us.  I 
informed  i'.iem  (and  long  experience  had 
given  thorn  confidence  in  my  observations 
and  good  instruments)  that  almost  diiectly 
west,  and  oiiiy  about  70  miles  distant,  was 
liic  great  farmiiii/  establishment  of  Captain 
Sutler — a  genlioman  who  had  lou.i'jrly 
lived  in  Mis:  uiii,  and,  emigrating  to  tiiis 
c>)untry,  had  become  the  pos.-^essor  of  a 
princi[):ilily.  f  assured  them  tliat,  from  the 
.leights  of  the  mountain  bol'oi-e  us,  we 
sliould  doubtk:  s  see  1  lie  valley  cd'  the  Sa- 
cramonlu  river,  and  with  one  ellbrt  place 
ourselves  again  in  the  midst  of  plenty.  The 
people  receivtHJ  this  decision  with  the  cheer- 
ful obedience  which  had  always  chavacter- 
ized  them ;  and  the  day  was  immediately 
devoted  to  the  preparations  necessary  to  en- 
able us  to  carry  it  into  efi'ect.  Leggins, 
moccasins,  clothing — all  were  put  into  the 
best  state  to  resist  the  cold.  Our  guide  was 
not  neglected.  Extremity  of  sutfering  might 
make  him  desert ;  we  therefore  did  the  best 
we  could  for  him.  Leggins,  moccasins, 
some  articles  of  clothing,  and  a  large  green 
blanket,  in  addition  to  the  blue  and  scarlet 
cloth,  were  lavished  upon  him,  and  to  his 
great  and  evident  contentment.  He  array- 
ed himself  in  all  his  colors ;  and,  clad  in 
green,  blue,  and  scarlet,  he  made  a  gay- 
looking  Indian  ;  and,  with  his  various  pres- 
ents, was  probably  richer  and  better  cloth- 
ed than  any  of  his  tribe  had  ever  been 
before. 

T  have  already  said  that  our  provisions 
\<ere  very  low  ;  we  had  neither  tallow  nor 
grease  of  any  kind  remaining,  and  the  want 
of  salt  became  one  of  our  greatest  privations. 
The  poor  dog  which  had  been  found  in  the 
Bear  river  valley,  and  which  had  been  a 
compagnon  de  voyage  ever  since,  had  now 
become  fat,  and  the  mess  to  which  it  b*> 


i 


uo 


CAPT.  FRKMOM'S  NARRATIVE. 


11844 


.ongod  requested  pennission  to  kill  it.  Leave 
was  granted.  Spread  out  on  the  snow,  the 
meat  looked  very  good  ;  and  it  made  a 
strengthening  meal  for  the  greater  part  of 
tvie  camp.  Indians  brought  in  two  or  tl>  .ce 
rabbits  during  the  day,  which  were  pur- 
chased from  them. 

The  river  was  40  to  70  feet  wide,  and 
now  entirely  frozen  over.  It  was  wooded 
witii  large  cotton-wood,  willow,  and  grain 
de  baeuf.  I3y  observation,  the  latitude  of 
this  encampment  was  38-^  37'  18". 

February  2. — It  liad  ceased  snowing, 
and  this  morning  the  lower  air  was  clear 
and  frt  ty  ;  and  six  or  seven  thousand  feet 
above,  the  peaks  of  the  Sierra  now  and  then 
appeared  among  the  rolling  clouds,  which 
were  rapidly  dispersing  before  the  sun.  Our 
Indian  shook  his  head  as  he  pointed  to  the 
icy  pinnacles,  shooting  high  tip  info  the  sky, 
and  seeming  almost  immediately  above  us. 
Crossing  the  river  on  the  ii-i',  iuid  leaving 
it  immediately,  we  commeiiccul  the  ascent 
of  the  mountain  along  the  v;illoy  of  a  tribu- 
tary stream.  The  people  were  unusually 
silent ;  for  every  man  knew  that  our  enter- 
prise was  hazardous,  and  the  issue  doubtful. 

The  snow  deepened  rapidly,  and  it  soon 
became  necessary  to  break  a  road.  For 
this  service,  a  party  of  ten  was  formed, 
mounted  on  the  strongest  horses ;  each 
man  in  succession  opening  the  road  on  foot, 
or  on  horseback,  until  himself  and  his  horse 
became  fatigued,  when  he  stepped  aside ; 
and,  the  remaining  number  passing  ahead, 
he  took  his  station  in  the  rear.  Leaving 
this  stream,  and  pursuing  a  very  direct 
course,  we  passed  over  an  intervening  ridge 
to  the  river  we  had  left.  On  the  way  we 
passed  two  low  huts  entirely  covered  with 
snow,  which  might  very  easily  have  escaped 
observation.  A  family  was  living  in  each  ; 
and  the  only  trail  I  saw  in  the  neighbor- 
hood was  from  the  door-hole  to  a  nut-pine 
tree  near,  which  supplied  them  with  food 
and  fuel.  We  found  two  similar  huts  on 
the  creek  where  we  next  arrived  ;  and, 
rravelling  a  little  higher  up,  encamped  on 
its  banks  in  about  four  feet  depth  of  snow. 
Carson  found  near,  an  open  hill  side,  where 
the  wind  and  the  sun  had  melted  the  snow, 
leaving  exposed  sufficient  bunch  grass  for 
the  animals  to-night. 

The  nut-pines  were  now  giving  way  to 
heavy  timber,  and  there  were  some  im- 
mense pines  on  the  bottom,  around  the  roots 
of  which  the  sun  had  melted  away  the 
snow ;  and  here  we  made  our  camp  and 
built  huge  fires.  To-day  we  had  travelled 
aiirteen  miles,  and  our  elevation  above  the 
sea  was  6,760  feet 

February  3. — Turning  our  faces  directly 
temairds  the  main  chain,  we  ascended  an 
Vjisu  hollow  Mong  a  amsd]  tributary  to  the 


river,  which,  according  to  the  Indiana,  iesuea 
from  a  mountain  to  the  south.  The  snow 
was  so  deep  in  the  hollow,  that  we  were 
obliged  to  travel  along  the  steep  hill  sides, 
and  over  spurs,  where  wind  and  sun  liad  in 
places  lessened  the  snow,  and  where  the 
glass,  which  appeared  to  be  in  good  quality 
along  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  was  ex- 
posed. We  opened  our  road  in  the  same 
way  as  yesterday,  but  made  only  seven 
miles  ;  and  encamped  by  some  springs  at 
the  foot  of  a  high  and  steep  hill,  by  whicii 
the  hollow  ascended  to  another  basin  in  the 
mountain.  The  little  stream  below  was 
entirely  buried  in  snow.  The  springs  were 
shaded  by  the  boughs  of  a  lofty  cedar,  which 
here  made  its  first  appearance  ;  the  usual 
heiglit  was  120  to  130  feet,  and  one  that 
was  measured  near  by  was  6  feet  in  diam- 
eter. 

There  being  no  grass  exposed  here,  the 
liorses  were  sent  back  to  that  which  we  had 
seen  a  few  miles  below.  We  occupied  the 
remainder  of  the  day  in  beating  down  a  road 
to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  a  mile  or  two  distant , 
the  snow  being  beaten  down  when  moist,  in 
the  warm  part  of  the  day,  and  then  hard 
frozen  at  night,  made  a  foundation  that 
would  bear  the  weight  of  the  animals  the 
next  morning.  During  the  day  several  In- 
dians joined  us  on  snow  shoes.  These  were 
made  of  a  circular  hoop,  about  a  foot  in  di- 
ameter, the  interior  space  being  filled  with 
an  open  network  of  bark. 

February  4. — I  went  ahead  early  with 
two  or  three  men,  each  with  a  led  horse,  to 
break  the  road.  We  were  obliged  to  aban- 
don the  hollow  entirely,  and  work  along  the 
mountain  side,  which  was  very  steep,  and 
the  snow  covered  with  an  icy  crust.  We 
cut  a  footing  as  we  advanced,  and  trampled 
a  road  through  for  the  animals ;  but  occa- 
sionally one  plunged  outside  the  trail,  and 
slided  along  the  field  to  the  bottom,  a  hun- 
dred yards  below.  Late  in  the  day  we 
reached  another  bench  in  the  hollow,  where, 
in  summer,  the  stream  passed  over  a  small 
precipice.  Here  was  a  short  distance  of 
dividing  ground  between  the  two  ridges,  and 
beyond  an  open  basin,  some  ten  miles  across, 
whose  bottom  presented  a  field  of  snow.  At 
the  further  or  western  side  rose  the  middle 
crest  of  the  mountain,  a  dark-looking  ridge 
of  volcanic  rock. 

The  summit  line  presented  a  range  of 
/laked  peaks,  apparently  destitute  of  snow 
and  vegetation  ;  but  below,  the  face  of  the 
wiiole  country  was  covered  with  timber  of 
extraordinary  size. 

Towards  a  pass  which  the  guide  indicated 
here,  we  attempted  in  the  afternoon  to  force 
a  road ;  but  after  a  laborious  plunging 
through  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  cm 
best  horses  gave  out,  entirely  refusing  to 


11844. 

ndiana,  ieiuat 
Tho  snow 
that  we  were 
oep  liill  sides, 
iid  sun  !iad  in 
nd  where  the 
II  good  quality 
;ains,  was  ex- 

iii  the  same 
only  seven 
me  springs  at 
hill,  by  which 
er  basin  in  the 
m  below  waa 
e  springs  were 
ty  cedar,  which 
ce  ;    tho  usual 

and  one  that 
B  feet  in  diam- 

)osed  here,  the 

,t  which  we  had 

6  occupied  the 

ng  down  a  road 

or  two  distant , 

when  moist,  in 

and  then  hard 

foundation   that 

he  animals  the 

day  several  In- 

!s.   These  were 

9ut  a  foot  in  di- 

leing  ftllod  with 

lead  early  with 
1  a  led  horse,  to 
obliged  to  aban- 
work  along  the 
very  steep,  and 
icy  crust.  We 
id,  and  trampled 
tnals;  but  occa- 
e  the  trail,  and 
3  bottom,  a  hun- 
in  the  day  we 
e  hollow,  where, 
sed  over  a  small 
tort  distance  of 
3  two  ridges,  and 
ten  miles  across, 
ield  of  snow.  At 
rose  the  middle 
rk-looking  ridge 

ited  a  range  of 
3stitute  of  snow 
,  the  face  of  the 
[  with  timber  of 

,e  guide  indicated 
fternoon  to  force 
orious  plunging 
idred  yards,  oar 
irely  refusing  to 


i844.J 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


141 


Bake  any  further  effort ;  and,  for  the  time, 
we  were  brought  to  a  stand.  The  guide 
informed  us  that  we  weve  entering  the  deep 
snow,  and  here  began  the  difficulties  of  the 
mountain ;  and  to  him,  and  almost  to  all, 
our  enterprise  seemed  hopeless.  I  returned 
a  short  distance  back,  to  the  break  in  the 
hollcw,  where  I  met  Mr.  Fitzpatrick. 

The  camp  had  been  all  the  day  occiipied 
m  e;ideavoring  to  ascend  the  hill,  but  only  the 
best  horses  had  succeeded  ,  the  animal 
generally,  not  having  sufficient  strength  to 
bring  themselves  up  without  the  packs ; 
and  all  the  line  of  road  between  this  and 
the  springs  was  strewed  with  camp  stores 
and  equipage,  and  horses  floundering  in 
snow.  I  tiiere.'bre  immediately  encamped 
on  the  ground  with  rey  own  mess,  which 
was  in  advance,  and  directed  Mr.  Fitzpat- 
rick to  encamp  at  the  springs,  and  send  all 
the  animals,  in  charge  of  Tabeau,  with  a 
strong  guard,  back  to  the  place  where  they 
had  been  pastured  tho  night  before.  Here 
was  a  small  spot  of  level  ground,  protected 
on  ne  side  )y  the  mountain,  and  on  the 
otV  sheltered  by  a  little  ridge  of  rock.  It 
v/as  an  open  grove  of  pines,  which  assimi- 
lated in  size  to  the  grandeur  of  the  moun- 
tain, being  frequently  six  feet  in  diameter. 

To-night  we  had  no  shelter,  but  we  made 
a  large  fire  around  the  trunk  of  one  of  the 
huge  pines ;  and  covering  the  snow  with 
email  boughs,  on  which  we  spread  our  blan- 
kets, soon  made  ourselves  comfortable.  The 
night  was  very  bright  and  clear,  though  the 
thermometer  was  only  at  10°.  A  strong 
wind,  which  sprang  up  at  sundown,  made  it 
intensely  cold ;  and  this  was  one  of  the  bit- 
terest nights  during  the  journey. 

Two  Indians  joined  our  party  here  ;  and 
one  of  them,  an  old  man,  immediately  be- 
gan to  harangue  us,  saying  that  ourselves 
and  animals  would  perish  in  the  snow ;  and 
that  if  we  would  go  back,  he  would  show 
us  another  and  a  better  way  across  the 
mountain.  He  spoke  in  a  very  loud  voice, 
and  there  was  a  singular  repe'tition  of 
phrases  and  arrangement  of  words,  which 
rendered  his  speech  striking,  and  not  un- 
musical. 

We  had  now  begun  to  understand  some 
words,  and,  with  the  aid  of  signs,  easily 
eomprehcnded  the  old  man's  simple  ideai^. 
"  Rock  upon  rock — rock  upon  rock — snow 
upon  snow — snow  upon  snow,"  said  he  ; 
"  even  if  you  get  over  the  snow,  you  will 
not  be  able  to  get  down  from  the  mountains." 
He  made  us  the  sign  of  precipices,  and 
showed  us  how  the  feet  of  the  horses  would 
slip,  and  throw  them  off  from  the  narrow 
trails  which  led  along  their  sides.  Our 
Chinook,  who  comprehended  even  more 
readily  than  ourselves,  and  believed  our 
situation  hopeless,  covered  his  head  with 


his  blanket,  and  began  to  weep 
"  I  wanted  to  see  the  whites,    i 


and  lament, 
said  he ;  "I 
came  away  from  my  own  people  to  see  the 
whites,  and  I  wouldn't  care  to  die  among 
them  ;  but  here" — and  he  looked  around 
into  the  cold  night  and  gloomy  forest,  and, 
drawing  his  blanket  over  his  head,  began 
again  to  lament. 

Seated  around  the  tree,  tho  fire  illumina- 
ting the  rocks  and  the  tall  bolls  of  the  pines 
round  about,  and  the  old  Indian  haranguing, 
we  presented  a  group  of  very  serious  faces. 

February  5. — The  night  had  been  too 
cold  to  sleep,  and  \\c  were  up  very  early. 
Our  guide  was  stanamg  by  tho  fire  with  all 
his  finery  on  ;  and  seeing  him  shiver  in  the 
cold,  I  threw  on  his  shoulders  one  of  my 
blankets.  We  missed  him  a  few  minutes 
afterwards,  and  never  saw  him  again.  He 
had  deserted.  His  bad  faith  and  treachery 
were  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  estimate 
of  Indian  character,  which  a  long  inter- 
course with  this  people  had  gradually  forced 
upon  my  mind. 

While  a  portion  of  the  camp  were  occu- 
pied in  bringing  up  the  baggage  to  this 
point,  the  remainder  were  busied  in  making 
sledges  and  snow  shoes.  I  had  determined 
to  explore  the  mountain  ahead,  and  the 
sledges  were  to  be  used  in  transporting  the 
baggage. 

The  mountains  here  consisted  wholly  of 
a  white  micaceous  granite. 

The  day  was  perfectly  clear,  and,  while 
the  sun  was  in  the  sky,  warm  and  pleasant. 

By  observation,  our  latitude  was  38°  42' 
26" ;  and  elevation,  by  the  boiling  point, 
7,400  feet. 

February  6. — Accompanied  by  Mr.  Fitz- 
patrick, I  set  out  to-day  with  a  reconnoitring 
party,  on  snow  shoes.  We  marched  all  in 
single  file,  trampling  the  snow  as  heavily  as 
we  could.  Crossing  the  open  basin,  m  a 
march  of  about  ten  mi)'  we  reached  the 
top  of  one  of  the  peak^,  to  the  left  of  the 
pass  indicated  by  our  guide.  Far  below  us, 
dimmed  by  the  distance,  was  a  large  snow- 
less  valley,  bounded  on  the  western  side,  at 
the  distance  of  about  a  hundred  miles,  by  a 
low  range  of  mountains,  which  Carson  re- 
cognised with  delight  as  the  mountains  bor- 
dering the  coast.  "  There,"  said  he,  "  is 
the  little  mountain — it  is  15  years  ago  since 
I  3aw  it ;  but  I  am  just  as  sure  as  if  I  had 
seen  it  yesterday."  Between  us,  then,  and 
this  low  coast  range,  was  the  valley  of  the 
Sacramento  ;  and  v  one  who  had  not  ac- 
companied us  through  the  incidents  of  our 
life  for  the  last  few  months  could  realize 
the  delight  with  which  at  last  we  looked 
down  upon  it.  At  the  distance  of  apparently 
30  miles  beyond  us  were  distinguished  spots 
of  prairie  ;  and  a  dark  line,  which  could  be 
traced  with  the  glass,  was  imagined  to  b« 


"ii 


14t 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1S44 


the  course  of  the  river  ;  but  we  were  evi- 
dently at  a  great  height  above  the  valley, 
and  between  us  and  the  plains  extended 
miles  of  snowy  fields  and  broken  ridges  of 
pine-covered  mountains. 

It  was  late  in  the  day  when  we  turned 
towards  the  camp ;  and  it  grew  rapidly  cold 
as  it  drew  towards  night.  One  of  the  men 
became  fatigued,  anu  his  feet  began  to 
freeze,  and,  building  a  fire  in  the  trunk  of 
»  dry  old  cedar,  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  remained 
with  him  until  his  clothes  could  be  dried, 
and  he  was  in  a  condition  to  come  on.  Af- 
ter a  day's  march  of  20  miles,  we  straggled 
into  camp,  one  after  anotiier,  at  nightfall ; 
the  greater  number  excessively  fatigued, 
only  two  of  the  party  having  ever  tiuvclled 
on  snow  shoesi  before. 

All  our  energies  were  now  directed  to 
getting  our  aiiiinais  across  tlie  snow  ;  and 
it  was  suj)pose(i  that,  after  all  the  baggage 
had  been  drawn  with  the  sh;ighs  over  tiie 
trail  we  had  made,  it  woiihl  he  siillicioiitly 
hard  to  bear  our  animals.  At  several  phiucs, 
between  tliis  point  and  the  ridge,  we  liad 
discovered  some  grassy  spots,  where  tlie 
wind  and  sun  had  dispersed  tlic  snow  I'roni 
the  sides  of  the  liills,  and  thcae  were  to  form 
resting  places  to  support  the  animal.-  for  a 
night  in  their  pa.ssage  across.  t)n  our  way 
across,  we  had  set  on  lire  sev(M-:il  lirokcn 
slumps,  and  dried  trees,  to  melt  lioloj  in  tlic 
snow  for  tlie  camps.  Its  general  depth  was 
5  (cot ;  hut  we  passed  over  places  where  it 
was  20  feet  deop,  as  siiown  b)-  the  trees. 

With  one  parly  drawing  sleighs  loaded 
with  baggage,  I  advanced  to-day  about  lour 
miles  along  Hk;  trail,  and  encamped  at  the 
first  grassy  spot,  where  we  expected  to 
bring  our  horses.  Jlr.  Fitzpatrick,  with 
another  party,  remained  behind,  to  ibrin  an 
intermediate  station  between  us  and  the  ani- 
mals. 

February  8. — The  night  has  been  ex- 
tremely cold  ;  but  perfectly  still,  and  beau- 
tifully clear.  Before  tiie  sun  appeared  tliis 
morning,  the  thermometer  was  3°  below 
zero ;  1°  higher,  when  his  rays  struck  the 
lofty  peaks ;  and  0°  when  they  reached  our 
camp. 

Scenery  and  weather,  combined,  must 
render  these  mountains  beautiful  in  summer ; 
the  purity  and  deep-blue  color  of  the  sky 
are  singularly  beautiful ;  the  days  are  sunny 
and  bright,  and  even  warm  in  the  noon 
hours ;  and  if  we  could  be  free  from  the 
many  anxieties  that  oppress  us,  even  now 
we  would  be  delighted  here  ;  but  our  pro- 
Tisions  are  getting  fearfully  scant.  Sleighs 
arrived  with  baggage  about  10  o'clock  ;  and 
ifb&ving  a  portion  of  it  here,  we  continued 
on  for  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  encamped  at 
the  foot  of  a  long  hill  on  this  side  of  the 
•pen  bottom. 


Bernier  and  Godey,  who  yesterday  mor» 
ing  had  been  sent  to  ascend  a  higher  peak, 
got  in,  hungry  and  fatigued.  They  con- 
firmed what  we  had  already  seen.  Two 
other  sleighs  arrived  in  the  afternoon  ;  and 
the  men  being  fatigued,  I  gavo  them  all  tea 
and  sugar.  Snow  clouds  began  to  rise  in 
the  SSW. ;  and,  apprehensive  of  a  storm, 
which  would  destroy  our  road,  I  sent  the 
people  back  to  Mr.  Fitzpatiick,  with  direc- 
tions to  send  for  the  animals  in  the  morning. 
With  mo  remained  Mr.  Prcuss,  Mr.  Talbot, 
and  Carson,  with  Jacob. 

Elevation  of  the  camp,  by  the  boiling 
poir.t,  is  7,920  feet. 

February  9. — During  the  night  the  weath- 
er changed,  the  wind  rising  to  a  gale,  and 
commencing  to  snow  belbre  daylight ;  be- 
fore morning  the  trail  was  covered.  We 
remained  quiet  in  camp  all  day,  in  the  course 
of  which  the  weather  improved.  Four 
sleighs  arrived  toward  evening,  with  the 
bedding  of  the  men.  W'v  siilfor  much  from 
the  want  of  salt;  and  all  the  nuMi  are  be- 
coming weak  from  insnflicient  food. 

Fihniary  10. — Tapliu  was  sent  hack 
with  a  i'vw  men  to  assist  Mr.  Fiizp.itrick  ; 
and  contiiuiing  on  with  threes  sIoi;,^lis  carry- 
ing a  part  of  the  baggage,  we  had  the  satis- 
laclion  to  encamp  williin  two  and  a  half 
miles  of  the  head  of  the  hollow,  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  last  mountain  ridge.  Here  two 
large  trees  had  been  set  on  lire,  and  in  the 
holes,  where  the  snow  had  hiM  n  melted 
away,  we  found  a  conilbrlable  camp. 

Tlie  wind  kepi  the  air  Idled  with  snow 
during  the  day  ;  the  sky  was  very  dark  in 
the  southwest,  though  elsewhere  very  clear. 
'The  forest  here  has  a  noble  appearance  : 
the  tall  cedar  is  abundant ;  its  greatest 
height  being  130  feet,  and  circumference 
20,  three  or  four  feet  above  the  ground  ; 
and  here  I  see  for  the  first  time  the  white 
pine,  of  which  there  are  some  magnificent 
trees.  Hemlock  spruce  is  among  the  tim- 
ber, occasionally  as  large  as  8  feet  in  diam- 
eter four  ftet  above  the  ground  ;  but,  in  as- 
cending, it  tapers  rapidly  to  less  than  one 
foot  at  the  height  of  80  feet.  I  have  not 
seen  any  higher  than  »30  feet,  and  the 
slight  upper  part  is  frequently  broken  off  by 
the  wind.  The  white  spruce  is  frequent ; 
and  the  red  pine,  {jnnus  Colorado  of  the 
Mexicans,)  which  constitutes  the  beautiful 
forest  along  the  flanks  of  the  Sierra  Neva- 
da to  the  northward,  is  here  the  princ'^dl 
tree,  not  attaining  a  greater  height  than  140 
feet,  though  with  sometimes  a  diamei,jr  of 
10.  Most  of  these  trees  appeared  to  differ 
slightly  from  those  of  the  same  kind  on  the 
other  side  of  the  continent. 

The  elevation  of  the  camp,  by  the  boiling 
point,  is  8,060  feet.  We  are  now  1,000 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  South  Pass  in 


[1844 

iterday  inor» 
luKher  peak, 
I'hey  con- 
seen.     Two 
lornoon ;  and 
D  thein  all  tea 
an  to  rise  in 
e  of  a  storm, 
d,  I  sent  the 
k,  with  direc- 
1  the  morning. 
s,  Mr.  Talbot, 

y  the  boiling 

ght  the  weath- 
tu  a  gale,  and 
daylight ;  be- 
iovercd.  We 
,  ill  the  course 
roved.  Four 
ling,  with  the 
I'oi-  luiieh  from 
c  men  uro  be- 
:  11)1x1. 

IS  .sent  l)acl< 
r.  Fiizpiitiick  ; 
•sloi^^hs  c;irry- 
1  li;i(l  llio  siitis- 
o  niul  a  iialf 
o\v,  ;iiul  at  the 
TO.  Here  two 
lire,  :iikI  in  the 
1  becMi  melted 
0  canii). 
Hod  with  snow 
IS  very  diuk  in 
lerc  very  clear, 
lo  iiiipearance  : 
;  its  greatest 
circumi'erence 
e  the  ground  ; 
time  the  white 
nic  magnificent 
among  the  tim- 
8  teet  in  diara- 
nd  ;  but,  in  as- 
i  less  than  one 
Bt.  I  have  not 
feet,  and  the 
y  broken  off  by 
!e  is  frequent ; 
olorado  of  the 
3  the  beautiful 
B  Sierra  Neva- 
e  the  princirdl 
height  than  140 
s  a  diametjr  of 
peared  to  differ 
ne  kind  on  the 

,  by  the  boiling 
are  now  1,000 
South  Pass  in 


!84l.) 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


lU 


die  Rocky  mountains  ;  and  still  we  are  not 
done  ascending.  The  top  of  a  flat  ridge 
near  was  bare  of  snow,  and  very  well 
sprinkled  with  bunch  grass,  sufficient  to  pas- 
ture the  animals  two  or  three  days ;  and 
this  was  to  be  their  main  point  of  support. 
This  ridge  is  composed  of  a  compact  trap, 
or  basalt,  of  a  columnar  structure  ;  over  the 
surface  are  scattered  large  bouhlers  of  po- 
rous trap.  The  hills  are  in  many  places  en- 
tirely covered  with  small  fragments  of  vol- 
canic rock. 

Putting  on  our  snow  shoes,  we  spent  the 
afternoon  in  exploring  a  road  ahead.  The 
glare  of  the  snow,  combined  with  great  fa- 
tigue, had  rendered  many  of  the  people  near- 
ly blind;  but  we  were  fortunate  in  iiaving 
some  black  silk  handkerchiefs,  which,  worn 
as  veils,  very  much  relieve'  the  eye. 

February  11. — High  wind  continued,  and 
our  trail  this  morning  was  nearly  invisible — 
1  '^re  and  there  indicated  by  a  little  ridge  of 
snow.  Our  situation  became  tiresome  and 
dreary,  requiring  a  strong  exercise  of  pa- 
tience and  resolution. 

In  the  evening  I  received  a  message  from 
Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  acquainting  me  with  the 
utter  failure  of  his  attempt  to  get  our  mules 
and  horses  over  the  snow — the  half-hidden 
trail  had  proved  entirely  too  slight  to  sup- 
port them,  and  they  had  broken  through, 
and  were  plunging  about  or  lying  half  buried 
in  anow.  He  was  occupied  in  endeavoring 
to  get  them  bark  to  his  camp  ;  and  in  the 
mean  time  sent  'o  me  for  further  instruc- 
tions. I  wrote  to  him  to  send  the  animals 
immediately  back  to  their  old  pastures  ;  and, 
after  having  made  mauls  and  shovels,  turn 
in  all  the  strength  of  his  party  to  open  and 
beat  a  road  through  the  snow,  strengthening 
it  with  branches  and  boughs  of  the  pines. 

February  12. — We  made  mauls,  and 
worked  hard  at  our  end  of  the  road  all  the 
day.  The  wind  was  high,  but  the  sun  bright, 
and  the  snow  thawing.  We  worked  down 
the  face  of  the  hill,  to  meet  the  people  at 
the  other  end.  Towards  sundowin  it  began 
to  grow  cold,  and  we  shouldered  our  mauls, 
and  trudged  back  to  camp. 

February  13. — We  continued  to  labor  on 
the  road  ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  day  had 
the  satisfaction  to  see  the  people  working 
down  the  face  of  the  opposite  hill,  about 
three  miles  distant.  '  During  the  morning 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  a  visit  from  Mr. 
Fitzpatrick,  with  the  information  that  all 
was  going  on  well.  A  party  of  Indians  had 
passed  on  snow  shoes,  who  said  they  were 
going  to  the  western  side  of  the  mountain 
after  fioh.  This  was  an  indication  that  the 
salmon  were  coming  up  the  streams ;  and 
we  could  hardly  restrain  our  impatience  as 
we  thought  of  them,  and  worked  with  in- 
creased vigor. 


The  meat  train  did  not  arrive  this  cveninf , 
and  I  gave  Uodey  leave  to  kill  our  little  dog, 
(TIamath,)  which  ho  prepared  in  Indian 
fashion  ;  scorching  off  the  hair,  and  wash- 
ing the  skin  with  snap  and  snow,  and  then 
cutting  it  up  into  pieces,  which  were  laid 
on  the  snow.  Shortly  afterwards,  the  sleigh 
arrived  with  a  supply  of  horse  moat ;  and 
we  had  to-night  an  extraordinary  dinner — 
pea-soup,  mule,  and  dog. 

February  11. — The  dividing  ridge  of  the 
Sierra  is  in  sight  from  this  encampment. 
Accompanied  by  Mr.  Preuss,  I  ascended  to- 
day the  highest  peak  to  the  right ;  from 
which  we  had  a  beautiful  view  tU'  a  moun- 
tain lake  at  our  feet,  about  fifteen  miles  in 
length,  and  so  entirely  surrounded  by  moun- 
tains til  t  we  could  not  discover  an  outlet. 
We  had  taken  with  us  a  glass  ;  but,  though 
we  enjoyed  an  extended  view,  the  valley  was 
half  hidden  in  mist,  as  when  we  had  seen  it 
before.  Snow  could  be  distinguished  on  the 
higher  parts  of  tiio  coast  mountains  ;  east- 
ward, as  far  as  the  eye  could  extend,  it 
ranged  over  a  terrible  mass  of  broken  snowy 
mountains,  fading  off  blue  in  the  distance. 
The  rock  comi)osing  the  summit  consists  of 
a  very  coarse,  dark,  volcanic  conglomerate  ; 
the  lower  parts  appeared  to  be  of  a  slaty 
structure.  The  highest  trees  were  a  few 
scattering  cedars  and  aspens.  From  the 
immediate  foot  of  the  peak,  we  were  two 
hours  in  reaching  the  summit,  and  one  hour 
and  a  quarter  in  descending.  The  day  had 
been  very  bright,  still,  and  clear,  and  spring 
seems  to  be  advancing  rapidly.  While 
the  sun  is  in  the  sky,  the  snow  melts  rapid- 
ly, and  gushing  springs  cover  the  face  of 
the  mountain  in  all  the  exposed  places  ;  but 
their  surface  freezes  instantly  with  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  sun. 

I  obtained  to-night  some  observations ;  and 
the  result  from  these,  and  others  made  dur- 
ing our  stay,  gives  for  the  latitude  38'  41  f 
67",  longitude  laO'^  26'  67",  and  rate  of  the 
chronometer  25  ".82. 

February  16. — We  had  succeeded  in  get- 
ting our  animals  safely  to  the  Qrst  grassr 
hill ;  and  this  morning  I  started  with  Jacob 
on  a  reconnoitring  expedition  beyond  the 
mountain.  We  travelled  along  the  crests  of 
narrow  ridges,  extending  down  from  th« 
mountain  in  the  direction  of  the  valley,  from 
which  the  snow  was  fast  melting  away.  On 
the  open  spots  was  tolerably  good  grass ;  and 
I  judged  we  should  succeed  in  getting  the 
camp  down  by  way  of  these.  Towards  sun- 
down we  discovered  some  icy  spots  in  a  deep 
hollow ;  and,  descending  the  mountain,  we 
encamped  on  the  head  water  of  a  little  creek, 
where  at  last  the  water  found  its  way  to  the 
Pacific. 

The  night  was  clear  and  very  long.  We 
heard  the  cries  of  some  wild  animals,  which 


144 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[IMl 


IM' 


h>d  been  attracted  by  our  fire,  and  a  flock  of 

Sieae  pawed  over  durinff  the  night.  Even 
ese  strange  sounds  had  something  feasant 
to  onr  senses  in  this  region  of  Hiience  and 
desolation. 

We  started  again  early  in  the  morning. 
The  creek  acquired  a  regular  breadth  of 
abont  20  feet,  and  we  Roon  began  to  hoar  the 
rushing  of  the  water  below  the  ice  surface, 
over  wliich  we  travelled  to  avoid  the  snow  ; 
a  few  miles  below  we  broke  through,  where 
the  water  was  several  feet  deep,  and  halted 
to  make  a  Are  and  dry  our  clothes.  We 
continued  a  few  miles  farther,  walking  being 
very  laborious  without  snow  Hhoes. 

1  was  now  perfectly  Batisfied  that  we  had 
struck  the  stream  on  wliicli  Mr.  Sutter  lived  ; 
and,  turning  about,  made  a  hard  push,  and 
reached  the  camp  a*  dark.    Here  wo  had  the 

Eleasure  to  iind  all  ti.'>  romaining  animalH, 
7  in  number,  safely  arrived  at  the  grassy 
hill  near  the  camp ;  and  hero,  also,  we  were 
agreeably  surprised  with  the  sijrht  of  an 
abundance  of  salt.  Some  of  tlio  iiorso  guard 
had  gone  to  a  neighboring  hut  for  pine  nuts, 
and  discovered  une,\pectedly  a  largo  cake  of 
very  white  fine-grained  salt,  wiilcTi  the  Indi- 
ans told  them  thoy  had  broiiglit  fi'oui  tiie 
other  side  of  the  mountain  •,  tlicy  used  it  to 
cat  with  their  pine  nuts,  and  readily  sold  it 
for  goods. 

On  tlie  19th,  the  people  were  occupied  in 
making  a  road  and  bringing  up  the  Iniggago; 
and,  on  the  afternoon  of  tlio  next  day,  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1844,  we  encamped  with  the  ani- 
mals and  all  tlie  materiel  of  the  cainp,  on  the 
summit  of  the  Pass  in  the  dividing  ridge, 
1,000  miles  by  our  travelled  road  from  tlie 
Dalles  of  the  Columbia. 

The  people,  who  had  not  yet  been  to  this 
point,  climbed  the  neighboring  peak  to  enjoy 
a  look  at  the  valley. 

The  temperature  of  boiling  water  gave  for 
the  elevation  of  the  encampment  9,338  feet 
above  the  sea. 

This  was  2,000  feet  higher  than  the  South 
Pass  in  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  several 
peaks  in  view  rose  several  thousand  feet  still 
nigher.  Thus,  at  the  extremity  of  the  conti- 
nent, and  near  the  coast,  the  phenomenon 
was  seen  of  a  range  of  mountains  still  higher 
than  the  great  Rocky  mountains  themselves. 
This  extraordinary  fact  accounts  for  the 
Great  Basin,  and  snows  that  there  must  be 
a  system  of  small  lakes  and  rivers  here  scat- 
tered over  a  flat  country,  and  which  the  ex- 
tended and  lofty  range  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
prevents  from  escaping  to  the  Pacific  ocean. 
Latitude  38''  44' ;  longitude  120"  28'. 

Thus  the  Pass  in  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
which  so  well  deserves  its  name  of  Snowy 
mountain,  is  eleven  degrees  west  and  about 
%ar  degrees  south  of  the  South  Pass. 

FtbnMry  21. — We  now  considered  our- 


selves victorious  over  the  mountain  *,  kaviag 
only  the  descent  before  ua,  and  the  vallej 
under  onr  eyes,  we  felt  strong  hope  tliat  vre 
should  force  our  way  down.  But  this  was  a 
case  in  which  the  descent  was  not  facile. 
Still  deep  fields  of  snow  lay  between,  and 
there  was  a  large  intervening  space  of  rough* 
looking  mountains,  through  which  we  had 
yet  to  wind  our  way.  Carson  roused  me 
this  morning  with  an  early  Are,  and  we  were 
all  up  long  before  day,  in  order  to  pass  the 
snow  fields  before  the  sun  should  render  the 
crust  soft.  We  enjoyed  this  morning  a  scene 
at  sunrise,  which  even  here  was  unusually  glo- 
rious and  beautiful.  Immediately  above  the 
eastern  mountains  was  repeated  a  cloud- 
formed  mass  of  purple  ranges,  bordered  with 
bright  yellow  gold  ;  the  peaks  shot  up  into  a 
narrow  iine  of  crimson  cloud,  above  which 
the  air  was  filled  with  a  greenish  orange ; 
and  over  all  was  the  singuiiir  beauty  of  the 
blue  sky.  I'a.ssing  along  a  ridge  which 
commanded  the  lake  on  our  right,  of  which 
we  began  to  discover  an  outlet  through  a 
chasm  on  the  west,  we  passed  over  alternat- 
ing open  ground  and  hard-crusted  snow 
fields  which  supported  the  animals,  and  en- 
camped on  the  ridge  after  a  journey  of  six 
miles.  Tlie  grass  was  bettor  than  we  had 
yet  seen,  and  we  were  encamped  in  a  clump 
of  trees  twenty  or  thirty  feet  higli,  resembling 
white  pine.  With  the  exception  of  these 
small  clumps,  the  ridges  were  bare ;  and, 
where  the  snow  found  the  support  of  the 
trees,  the  wind  had  blown  it  up  into  banks 
ten  or  fifteen  feet  high.  It  reipiired  much 
care  to  hunt  out  a  practicable  way,  as  the 
most  open  places  frequently  led  to  impassa- 
ble banks. 

We  had  hard  and  doubtful  labor  yet  be- 
fore us,  as  the  snow  appeared  to  be  heavier 
where  the  timber  began  further  down,  with 
few  open  spots.  Ascending  a  height,  we 
traced  out  the  best  line  we  could  discoter 
for  the  next  day's  march,  and  had  at  least 
the  consolation  to  see  that  the  mountain  de- 
scended rapidly.  The  day  had  been  one  of 
April ;  gusty,  with  a  few  occasional  flakes  of 
snow ;  which,  in  the  afternoon,  enveloped  the 
upper  mountain  in  clouds.  We  watched 
them  anxiously,  as  now  we  dreaded  a  snow 
storm.  Shortly  afterwards  we  heard  the  roll 
of  thunder,  and,  looking  towards  the  valley, 
found  it  all  enveloped  in  a  thunder-storm. 
For  us,  as  connected  with  the  idea  of  sum* 
mer,  it  had  a  singular  charm ;  and  we 
watched  its  progress  with  excited  feelings 
until  nearly  sunset,  when  the  sky  cleared  off 
brightly,  and  we  saw  a  shining  line  of  water 
directing  its  course  towards  another,  a  broad- 
er and  larger  sheet.  We  knew  that  these 
could  be  no  other  than  the  Sacramento  and 
the  bay  of  San  Francisco ;  but,  after  our  long 
wandering  in  rugged  mountains,  where  m 


luntain-,  kaviig 
,  and  the  villtj 
\g  hope  that  we 
But  this  was  a 
was  not  facile. 
iy  between,  and 
gHpaceofrouffh> 
I  which  we  had 
rson   roiiaed  me 
ire,  and  we  were 
'der  to  pasH  the 
liouid  render  the 
morning  a  scene 
as  unusually  glo- 
liatoly  above  the 
peatcd   a  cloud- 
38,  bordered  with 
ks  shot  up  into  a 
id,  above  which 
reenisli  orange  -, 
ir  beauty  of  the 
a   ridge   which 
right,  of  which 
autlet  tiirougii  a 
ied  over  alternat- 
rd-crustod   hhow 
inimals,  and  cn- 
a  journey  of  six 
tcr  than  we  had 
imped  in  a  clump 
high,  resembling 
tceplion  of  these 
were  bare;  and, 
le  support  of  the 
it  up  into  banks 
t  required  much 
ible  way,  as  the 
f  led  to  impassa- 

ful  labor  yet  be- 
•ed  to  be  Jieavier 
rther  down,  with 
ng  a  height,  we 
e  could  discoTer 
and  had  at  least 
the  mountain  de- 
had  been  one  of 
jcasional  flakes  of 
[)on,  enveloped  the 
s.  We  watched 
i  dreaded  a  snow 
we  heard  the  roll 
wards  the  valley, 
a  thunder-storm, 
the  idea  of  sum« 
charm ;  and  we 
I  excited  feelings 
:he  sky  cleared  off 
ning  line  of  water 
3  another,  a  broad- 
knew  that  these 
!  Sacramento  and 
but,  after  our  long 
untains,  where  M 


184  .1 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


flvanently  we  had  met  with  diaappointments, 
ain  where  the  crosfling  of  every  ridge  dis- 
played some  unknown  lake  or  river,  we  were 
let  almost  afraid  to  believe  that  we  were  at 
List  to  escape  into  the  genial  country  of 
which  we  had  heard  so  many  glowing  de- 
scriptions, and  dreaded  again  to  And  some 
vast  interior  lake,  whose  bitter  waters  would 
bring  us  disappointment.  On  the  southern 
shore  of  what  apjpeared  to  be  the  hay  could 
be  traced  the  gleaming  line  where  entered 
another  large  stream ;  and  again  the  Buena- 
ventura rose  up  in  our  minds. 

Carson  had  entered  the  valley  along  the 
•outhern  side  of  the  bay,  and  remembered 
perfectly  to  have  crossed  the  mouth  of  a  very 
large  stream,  which  they  had  been  obliged 
to  rail ;  but  the  country  then  was  so  en- 
tirely covered  with  water  from  snow  and 
rain,  that  he  had  been  able  to  form  no  cor- 
rect impression  of  watercourses. 

We  had  the  satisfaction  to  know  that  at 
least  there  were  people  bolow.  Fires  were 
lit  up  in  the  valley  just  at  night,  appearing 
to  be  in  answer  to  ours  ;  and  these  signs  of 
life  renewed,  in  some  measure,  the  gaiety 
of  the  camp.  They  appeared  so  near,  that 
we  judged  them  to  be  among  the  timber  of 
•ome  of  the  neighboring  ridges  ;  but,  having 
them  constantly  in  view  day  after  day,  and 
night  after  night,  we  aftorwanU  found  them 
to  be  fires  that  had  been  kindled  by  tlie  Indi- 
ans among  the  hdares,  on  tlie  shore  of  the 
bay,  80  miles  distant. 

Among  the  very  few  plants  that  appeared 
here,  was  the  common  blue  tlax.  To-night, 
a  mule  was  killed  for  food. 

February  2'2. — Our  breakfast  was  over 
long  before  day.  We  took  advantage  of  the 
coolness  of  the  early  morning  to  get  over 
the  snow,  which  to-day  occurred  in  very 
deep  banks  among  the  timber ;  but  we 
searched  out  tiie  coldest  places,  and  the  ani- 
mals passed  successfully  with  their  loads 
the  hard  crust.  Now  and  then,  the  delay 
of  making  a  road  occasioned  much  labor 
and  loss  of  time.  In  the  after  part  of  the 
day,  we  saw  before  us  a  handsome  grassy 
ridge  point ;  and,  making  a  desperate  push 
over  a  snow  field  10  to  15  feet  deep,  we 
happily  succeeded  in  getting  the  eamp 
across ;  and  encamped  on  the  ridge,  after  a 
march  of  three  miles.  We  had  again  the 
prospect  of  a  thunder-storm  below,  and  to- 
night we  killed  another  mule — now  our  only 
resource  from  starvation. 

We  satisfied  ourselves  during  the  day 
(hat  the  lake  had  an  outlet  between  two 
ranges  on  the  right;  and  with  this,  the 
creek  on  which  I  had  encamped  probably 
effected  a  junction  below.  Between  these, 
we  were  descending. 

We  continued  to  enjoy  the  same  delightful 
weather;  the  sky  of  the  same  beautiful  blue, 

10 


and  each  a  sunset  and  sunrise  as  on  oar 
Atlantic  coaat  we  could  scarcely  imagine. 
And  here  among  the  mountains,  0,000  feet 
abovu  the  sea,  we  have  the  deep-blue  aky 
and  Bunnv  climate  of  Hmyrna  ana  I'alenno, 
which  a  little  map  before  me  shows  are  in 
the  same  latitude. 

The  elevation  above  the  sea,  by  the  boilinf 
point,  is  8,666  feet. 

February  23. — This  was  our  tnost  difficult 
day  ;  we  were  forced  off  the  idges  by  the 
quantity  of  snow  among  the  timber,  and 
obliged  to  take  to  the  mountain  sides,  where 
occasionally,  rocks  and  a  southern  exposure 
afforded  us  a  chance  to  scramble  along.  But 
these  were  steep,  and  slippery  with  snow 
and  ice ;  and  the  tough  evergreens  of  the 
mountain  impeded  our  way,  tore  our  skins, 
and  exhausted  our  patience.  Some  of  ua 
had  the  misfortune  to  wear  mocassins  with 
varjleche  soles,  so  slippery  that  we  could  not 
Keep  our  feet,  and  generally  crawled  across 
the  snow  beds.  Axes  and  mauls  were  ne- 
cessary to-day,  to  make  a  road  through  the 
snow.  Going  ahead  with  Carson  to  re- 
connoitre the  road,  we  reached  in  the  after- 
noon the  river  which  made  the  outlet  of  the 
lake.  Carson  sprang  over,  clear  across  a 
place  whore  the  stream  was  compressed 
among  rocks,  but  the  jmrjlcche  solo  of  my 
mocassin  glanced  from  the  icy  rock,  and 
precipitiited  me  into  the  river.  It  was  some 
few  seconds  before  I  could  recover  myself 
in  the  current,  and  Carson,  lliiriking  mo  hurt, 
jumped  ii\  after  me,  and  wo  both  had  an  icy 
bath.  Wo  tried  to  search  a  while  for  my 
gun,  which  had  been  lost  in  the  fall,  but  the 
cold  drove  us  out ;  and  making  a  large  fire 
on  the  bank,  after  we  had  partially  dried 
ourselves  we  went  back  to  meet  the  camp. 
We  afterwards  found  that  the  gun  had  been 
slung  under  the  ice  which  lined  the  banks 
of  the  creek. 

Using  our  old  plan  of  breaking  the  road 
with  alternate  horses,  we  reached  the  creek 
in  the  evening,  and  encamped  on  a  dry  open 
place  in  the  ravine. 

Another  branch,  which  we  had  followed, 
here  comes  In  on  the  left  ;  and  from  thia 
point  the  mountain  wall,  on  which  we  had 
travelled  to-day,  faces  to  the  south  along  the 
right  bank  of  the  river,  where  the  snn  ap- 
pears to  have  melted  the  snow ;  but  the  op- 
posite ridge  is  entirely  covered.  Here,  among 
the  pines,  the  hill  side  produces  but  little 
grass — barely  sufficient  to  keep  life  in  the 
animals.  We  had  the  pleasure  to  be  rained 
upon  this  afternoon  ;  and  grass  was  now  our 
greatest  solicitude.  Many  of  the  men  looked 
Sadly ;  and  some  this  evening  were  giving 
out. 

February  24. — We  rose  at  three  in  the 
morning,  for  an  astronomical*  observation, 
and  obtained  for  the  place  a  latitude  of  88^ 


I 


14C 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844. 


46'  6S'  ;  longitude  120"  34'  20".  The  sky 
waa  clear  and  pure,  with  a  sharp  wind 
from  the  northeast,  and  the  thermometer  2* 
below  the  freezing  point. 

We  continued  down  the  south  face  of  the 
mountain  ;  our  road  leading  over  dry  ground, 
we  were  able  to  avoid  the  snow  almost  en- 
tirely. In  the  course  of  the  morning,  we 
struck  a  foot  path,  which  we  were  generally 
able  to  keep ;  and  the  ground  was  soft  to 
our  animals'  feet,  being  sandy  or  covered 
with  mould.  Green  grass  began  to  make 
its  appearance,  and  occasionally  we  passed 
a  hill  scatteringly  covered  with  it.  The 
character  of  the  forest  continued  the  same  ; 
and,  among  the  trees,  the  pine  with  sharp 
leaves  and  very  large  cones  waa  abundant, 
some  of  them  being  noble  trees.  We  mea- 
sured one  that  had  10  feet  diameter,  though 
the  height  was  not  more  than  130  feet.  All 
along,  the  river  was  a  roaring  torrent,  its 
fall  very  great:  and,  descending  with  a 
rapidity  to  which  we  had  long  been 
strangers,  to  our  great  pleasure  oak  trees 
appeared  on  the  ridge,  and  soon  became  very 
frequent ;  on  these  I  remarked  unusually 
great  quantities  of  misletoe.  Rushes  began 
to  make  their  appearance  ;  and  at  a  small 
creek  where  they  were  abundant,  one  of  the 
messes  was  left  with  the  weakest  horses, 
while  we  continued  on. 

The  opposite  mountain  side  was  very 
steep  and  continuous — unbroken  by  ravines, 
and  covered  with  pines  and  snow ;  while  on 
the  side  we  were  travelling,  innumerable 
rivulets  poured  down  from  the  ridge.  Con- 
tinuing on,  we  halted  a  moment  at  one  of 
these  rivulets,  to  admire  some  beautiful  ever- 
green trees,  resembling  live  oak,  which 
shaded  the  little  stream.  They  were  forty 
to  fifty  feet  high,  and  two  in  diameter,  with 
a  uniform  tufted  top ;  and  the  summer  green 
of  their  beautiful  foliage,  with  the  singing 
birds,  and  the  sweet  summer  wind  which 
was  whirling  about  the  dry  oak  leaves,  nearly 
intoxicated  us  with  delight ;  and  we  hurried 
on,  filled  with  excitement,  to  escape  entirely 
from  the  horrid  region  of  inhospitable  snow, 
to  the  perpetual  spring  of  the  Sacramento. 

When  we  had  travelled  about  ten  miles, 
the  vallev  opened  a  little  to  an  oak  and  pine 
bottom,  through  which  ran  rivulets  closely 
bordered  with  rushes,  on  which  our  half- 
starved  horses  fell  with  avidity;  and  here 
we  made  our  encampment.  Here  the  roar- 
ing torrent  has  already  become  a  river,  and 
we  had  descended  to  an  elevation  of  3,864 
feet. 

Along  our  road  to-day  the  rock  was  a 
white  granite,  which  appears  to  constitute 
the  upper  part  of  the  mountains  on  both  the 
•astern  and  western  slopes ;  while  between, 
U>e  central  is  a  volcanic  rock. 

Another  horse  vfos  killed  to-night,  for  food. 


February  25. — Believing  that  the  dift- 
culties  of  the  road  were  passed,  and  leaving 
Mr.  Fitzpatrick  to  follow  slowly,  as  the  con- 
dition of  the  animals  required,  I  started 
ahead  this  morning  with  a  party  of  eight, 
consisting  (with  myself)  of  Mr.  Preuss  and 
Mr.  Talbot,  Carson,  Derosier,  Towns,  Proue, 
and  Jacob.  We  took  with  us  some  of  the 
best  animals,  and  my  intention  was  to  pro- 
ceed as  rapidly  as  possible  to  the  house  of 
Mr.  Sutter,  and  return  to  meet  the  party 
with  a  supply  of  provisions  and  fresh  anw 
mals. 

Continuing  down  the  river,  which  pursued 
a  very  direct  westerly  course  through  a  nar- 
row valley,  with  only  a  very  slight  and  nar- 
row bottom  land,  we  made  twelve  miles,  and 
encamped  al  some  old  Indian  huts,  apparent- 
ly a  fishing  place  on  the  river.  The  bottom 
was  covered  with  trees  of  deciduous  foliage, 
and  overgrown  with  vines  and  rushes.  On 
a  bench  of  the  hill  near  by,  was  a  field  of 
fresh  green  grass,  six  inches  long  in  some  of 
the  tufts  which  I  had  the  curiosity  to  meas- 
ure. The  animals  were  driven  here  ;  and  1 
spent  part  of  the  afternoon  sitting  on  a  large 
rock  among  them,  enjoying  the  pauseless  ra- 
pidity with  which  they  luxuriated  in  the  un- 
accustomed food. 

The  forest  was  imposing  to-day  in  the 
magnificence  of  the  trees ;  some  of  the 
pines,  bearing  large  cones,  were  10  feet  in 
diameter;  cedars  also  abounded,  and  we 
measured  one  28j  feet  in  circumference,  four 
feet  from  the  ground.  This  noble  tree  seemed 
here  to  be  in  its  proper  soil  and  climate. 
We  found  it  on  both  sides  of  the  Sierra,  but 
most  abundant  on  the  west. 

February  26. — We  continued  to  follow  the 
stream,  the  mountains  on  either  hand  in- 
creasing in  height  as  we  descended,  and  shut- 
ting up  the  river  narrowly  in  precipices, 
along  which  we  had  great  difficulty  to  get 
our  horses. 

It  rained  heavily  during  the  afternoon,  and 
we  were  forced  off  the  river  to  the  heights 
above ;  whence  we  descended,  at  night-fall, 
the  point  of  a  spur  between  the  river  and  a 
fork  of  nearly  equal  size,  coming  in  from  the 
right.  Here  we  saw,  on  the  lower  hills,  the 
first  flowers  in  bloom,  which  occurred  sud- 
denly, and  in  considerable ''lantity;  one  of 
them  a  species  of  gilia. 

The  current  in  both  streams  (rather  tor- 
rents than  rivers)  was  broken  by  large  boul- 
ders. It  was  late, and  the  animals  fatigued; 
and  not  succeeding  to  find  a  ford  immediate- 
ly, we  encamped,  although  the  hill  side  af- 
forded but  a  few  stray  bunches  of  grass,  and 
the  horses,  standing  about  in  the  rain,  looked 
very  miserable. 

February  27. — We  succeeded  in  fording 
the  stream,  and  made  a  trail  by  which  we 
crossed  the  point  of  Um  opposite  kill,  which, 


were  m 
rcptbo  f 
the  !iox| 
pcctiiir 
which,  I 
most  at 
vviiich 
ing  tlie 
It  braiic 
clump 
leaves 
branche 
ped  of 
thin, 


II44.J 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


i«r 


that  the  dift- 
ssed,  and  leaving 
owly,  as  the  con- 
luired,  I  started 
I  party  of  eight, 

Mr.  Preusa  and 
ir,  Towns,  Proue, 
I  us  some  of  tiie 
ition  was  to  pro- 

to  the  house  of 

meet  the  party 
IS  and  fresh  ani- 

er,  which  pursued 
•se  through  a  nar- 
•y  slight  and  nar- 
twelve  miles,  and 
an  huts,  apparent- 
ver.  The  bottom 
deciduous  foliage, 
i  and  rushc3.  On 
by,  was  a  field  of 
es  long  in  some  of 
curiosity  to  meas- 
[riven  here  ;  and  I 
sitting  on  a  large 
g  the  pauseless  ra- 
curiated  in  the  un« 

ing  to-day  in  the 
Bs ;  some  of  the 
s,  were  10  feet  in 
ibounded,  and  we 
;ircumference,  four 
s  noble  tree  seemed 
soil  and  climate. 
3  of  the  Sierra,  but 

3t. 

tinued  to  follow  the 
n  either  hand  in- 
iescended,  and  shut^ 
wly  in  precipices, 
i&t  difficulty  to  get 

r  the  afternoon,  and 
iver  to  the  heights 
}nded,  at  night-fall, 
len  the  river  and  a 
coming  in  from  the 
the  lower  hills,  the 
'hich  occurred  sud* 
le  f' lantity ;  one  of 

streams  (rather  tor- 
oken  by  large  boul- 
le  animals  fatigued ; 
d  a  ford  immediate- 
rh  the  hill  side  af- 
inches  of  grass,  and 
t  in  the  rain,  looked 

icceeded  in  fording 
.  trail  by  which  _we 
apposite  kill,  which, 


IB  the  sonthem  exposure,  was  prettily  cover- 
«d  witii  green  grass,  and  we  halted  a  mile  from 
onr  last  encampment.  The  river  was  only 
tbout  sixty  feet  wide,  but  rapid,  and  occa- 
sionally deep,  foaming  among  boulders,  and 
the  water  beautifully  clear.  We  encamped 
on  the  hill  slope,  as  there  was  no  bottom 
level,  and  the  opposite  ridge  is  continuous, 
aflbrding  no  streams. 

We  had  with  us  a  large  kettle  ;  and  a  mule 
being  killed  here,  his  head  was  boiled  in  it 
for  several  hours,  and  made  a  passable  soup 
for  famished  people. 

Below,  precipices  on  the  river  forced  us  to 
the  heights,  which  we  ascended  by  a  steep 
«pur  2,000  feet  high.  My  favorite  horse, 
Proveau,  had  become  very  weak,  and  was 
scarcely  able  to  bring  himself  to  the  top. 
Travelling  here  was  good,  except  in  crossing 
the  ravines,  which  wore  narrow,  steep,  and 
frequent.  We  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  deer, 
the  first  animal  we  had  seen ;  but  did  not 
succeed  in  approaching  him.  Proveau  rould 
not  keep  up,  and  I  loft  Jiicob  to  bring  lijm  on, 
being  obliged  to  press  forward  with  tlie  par- 
ty, as  there  was  no  jrrass  in  the  forest.  We 
grew  very  anxious  as  tiie  day  advanced  and 
no  grass  appeared,  for  the  lives  of  our  ani- 
mals dopondod  on  fiiuliug  it  to-nijriit.  Tliey 
were  in  just  such  a  condition  that  prnss  and 
rcp.'i.-o  for  tlie  night  onuliicd  Ihoui  to  p-ot  ou 
the  ucxt  (lay.  Every  iiour  we  had  been  ex- 
pecting to  sec  ojjen  o::t  before  us  the  valley, 
which,  from  the  mountain  aimve,  soeinod  al- 
most at  our  fcfl.  A  ]\r\v  and  siiipT.lar  shrub, 
which  had  made  its  appearance  since  (■rnss- 
ing  the  mountain,  was  very  Freqiictit  to-day. 
It  branched  out  near  the  ground,  rorniin!:>'  a 
clump  eight  to  ten  foet  high,  with  |)alo-green 
leaves  of  an  oval  form,  and  the  body  and 
branches  liad  a  naked  appearance,  as  it^  strip- 
ped of  the  bark,  which  is  very  smootli  and 
thin,  of  a  chocolate  color,  contrasting  well 
with  the  pale  green  of  the  leaves.  The  day 
was  nearly  gone  ;  we  had  made  a  hard  day's 
march,  and  found  no  grass.  Towns  became 
light-headed,  wandering  off  into  the  woods 
without  knowing  where  he  was  going,  and 
Jacob  brought  him  back. 

Near  night-fall  we  descended  into  the  steep 
ravine  of  a  handsome  creek  thirty  feet  wide, 
and  I  was  engaged  in  getting  the  horses  up 
the  opposite  hill,  when  1  .heard  a  shout  from 
Carson,  who  had  gone  ahead  a  few  hundred 
yards — "  Life  yet,"  said  he,  as  he  came  up, 
"life  yet;  I  have  found  a  hill  side  sprinkled 
with  grass  enough  for  the  night."  We  drove 
along  our  horses,  and  encamped  at  the  place 
about  dark,  and  there  was  just  room  enough 
to  make  a  place  for  shelter  on  the  edge  of  the 
ttream.  Three  horses  were  lost  to-day — 
Proveau ;  a  fine  young  horse  from  the  Co- 
lumbia, belonging  to  Charlie  Towns ;  and 
another  Indian  horse  which  carried  our  cook- 


ing utensils ;  the  two  former  gave  out,  ui 
the  latter  strayed  off  into  the  woods  as  we 
reached  the  camp. 

February  29. — We  lay  shut  up  in  the  nar- 
row ravine,  and  gave  the  animals  a  necessa^ 
ry  day ;  and  men  were  sent  back  after  the 
others.  Derosier  volunteered  to  bring  up 
Proveau,  to  whom  he  knew  I  was  greatly  at- 
tached, as  he  had  been  my  favorite  horse  on 
both  expeditions.  Carson  and  I  climbed  one 
of  the  nearest  mountains ;  the  forest  land 
still  extended  ahead,  and  the  valley  appeared 
as  I'ar  as  ever.  The  pack  horse  was  found 
near  the  camp,  but  Derosier  did  not  get  in. 

March  1. — Derosier  did  not  get  in  during 
the  night,  and  leaving  him  to  follow,  as  no 
grass  remained  here,  we  continued  on  over 
the  uplands,  crossing  many  small  streams, 
and  camped  again  on  the  river,  having  made 
6  miles.  Here  we  found  the  hill  side  cover- 
ed (althougli  lightly)  with  fresh  green  grass ; 
and  from  this  time  forward  we  found  it  al- 
ways improving  and  abundant. 

We  made  a  pleasant  camp  on  the  river  hill, 
where  were  some  beautiful  sppcimens  of  the 
chocolate-colored  shrub,  which  w  "re  a  foot  in 
diameter  near  the  ground,  and  fllteen  to  twen- 
ty feet  high.  Tiip  onjiosite  ridge  runs  con- 
tinuously along,  uiihroken  !iy  streams.  We 
aic  rapidly  desconiling  iiit(j  iho  spring,  and 
'>ve  aro  leaving  onr  snowy  region  far  hi'liiud; 
everything  is  getting  green  ;  huitorflies  are 
swarming;  ninnerous  bur.s  jiro  creeping  out, 
wakened  Irom  their  winter's  sleep  ;  and  the 
forest  llowers  are  coming  inio  Mcmu.  Auiong 
those  Vvhich  apjiearcd  most  ntuuerously  to- 
day was  t'lx'eailham  ihni'afu::!. 

Wc  began  to  he  uneasy  at  Dcrosier's  ab- 
sence, fearing  he  n  '  ht  have  been  bewilder- 
ed in  the  woods,  ^..arles  Towns,  who  had 
not  yet  recovered  iiis  nsind,  went  to  swim  in 
the  river,  as  if  it  were  summer,  and  the 
stream  placid,  when  it  was  a  cold  mountain 
torrent  foaming  among  rocks.  We  were 
happy  to  see  Derosier  appear  in  the  evening. 
He  came  in,  and,  sitting  down  by  the  fire, 
began  to  tell  us  where  he  had  been.  He 
im.  gined  he  had  been  gone  several  days,  and 
thought  we  were  still  at  the  camp  where  he 
had  left  us  ;  and  wc  were  pained  to  see  that 
his  mind  was  deranged.  It  appeared  that  he 
had  been  lost  in  the  mountain,  and  hunger 
and  fatigue,  joined  to  weakness  of  body,  and 
fear  of  perishing  in  the  mountains,  had 
crazed  him.  The  times  were  severe  when 
stout  men  lost  their  minds  from  extremity  of 
suffering  —  when  horses  died  —  and  when 
mules  and  horses,  ready  to  die  of  starvation, 
were  killed  for  food.  Yet  there  was  no  mur- 
muring or  hesitation. 

A  short  distance  below  our  encampment 
the  river  mountains  terminated  in  precipices, 
and,  after  a  fatiguing  march  of  only  a  few 
miles,  we  encamped  on  a  bench  where  tbera 


I  i| 


148 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844. 


I' 


were  springs  and  an  abundance  of  the  fresh- 
est grass.  In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Preuss 
continued  on  down  the  river,  and,  unaware 
that  we  had  encamped  so  early  in  the  day, 
was  lost.  When  night  arrived,  and  he  did 
not  come  in,  we  began  to  understand  what 
had  happened  to  him  ;  but  it  was  too  late  to 
make  any  search. 

March  3. — We  followed  Mr.  Preuss's  trail 
for  a  considerable  distance  along  the  river, 
until  we  reached  a  place  where  he  had  de- 
scended to  the  stream  below  and  encamped. 
Here  we  shouted  and  fired  guns,  but  received 
no  answer;  and  we  concluded  that  he  had 
pushed  on  down  the  stream.  I  determined 
to  keep  out  from  the  river,  along  which  it 
was  nearly  impracticable  to  travel  with  ani- 
mals, until  it  should  form  a  valley.  At  every 
step  the  country  improved  in   beauty ;  the 

Eines  were  rapidly  disappearing,  and  oaks 
ecame  the  principal  trees  of  the  forest. 
Among  these,  the  prevailing  tree  was  the 
evergreen  oak  (which,  by  way  of  distinction, 
we  phall  call  the  live  oak)  ;  and  with  these, 
occurred  frequently  a  new  species  of  oak 
bearing  a  long  slender  acorn,  from  an  inch  to 
an  inch  and  a  half  in  length,  which  we  now 
began  to  see  formed  the  principal  vegetable 
fowl  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  region.  In  a 
short  distance  we  crossed  a  little  rivulet, 
where  were  two  old  huts,  and  near  by  were 
heaps  of  acorn  hulls.  The  ground  round 
about  was  very  rich,  covered  with  an  exube- 
rant sward  of  grass ;  and  we  sat  down  for  a 
while  in  the  shade  of  the  oaks,  to  let  the  ani- 
mals feed.  We  repeated  our  shouts  for  Mr. 
Prsuss ;  and  this  time  we  were  gratified  with 
an  answer.  The  voice  grew  rapidly  nearer, 
ascending  from  the  river ;  but  when  we  ex- 
pected to  see  him  emerge,  it  ceased  entirely. 
We  had  called  up  some  straggling  Indian — 
the  first  we  had  met,  although  for  two  days 
back  we  had  seen  tracks — who,  mistaking 
us  for  his  fellows,  had  been  only  undeceived 
on  getting  close  up.  It  would  have  been 
pleasant  to  witness  his  astonishment;  he 
would  not  have  been  more  frightened  had 
some  of  the  old  mountain  spirits  they  are  so 
much  afraid  of  suddenly  appeared  in  his  path. 
Ignorant  of  the  character  of  these  people, 
we  had  now  an  additional  cause  of  uneasi- 
ness in  regard  to  Mr.  Preuss;  he  had  no 
arms  with  nim,  and  we  began  to  think  his 
chance  doubtful.  We  followed  on  a  trail, 
Htill  keeping  out  from  the  river,  and  descend- 
ed to  a  very  large  creek,  dashing  with  great 
velocity  over  a  pre-eminently  rocky  bed  and 
among  large  boulders.  The  bed  had  sudden 
breaks,  formed  by  deep  holes  and  ledges  of 
rock  running  across.  Even  here,  it  deserves 
the  name  of  Rock  creek,  which  we  gave  to  it. 
We  succeeded  in  fording  it,  and  toiled  about 
three  thousand  feet  up  the  opposite  hill.  The 
aoontabB  now  were  getting  sensibly  lower; 


but  still  there  is  no  valley  on  the  river,  which 
presents  steep  and  rocky  banks ;  but  here, 
several  miles  from  the  river,  the  couatry  is 
smooth  and  grassy ;  the  forest  has  no  under- 
growth ;  and  in  the  open  valleys  of  rivulets, 
or  around  spring  heads,  the  low  groves  of 
live  oak  give  the  appearance  of  orchards  in 
an  old  cultivated  country.  Occasionally  we 
met  deer,  but  had  not  the  necessary  time  for 
hunting.  At  one  of  tiiese  orchard  grounds, 
we  encatnped  &bout  noon  to  make  an  efibrt 
for  Mr.  Preuss.  One  man  took  his  way 
along  a  spur  leading  into  the  river,  in  hope 
to  cross  his  trail ;  and  another  took  our  own 
back.  Both  were  volunteers  ;  and  to  the 
successful  man  was  promised  a  pair  of  pis- 
tols— not  as  a  reward,  but  as  a  token  of  gra- 
titude for  a  service  which  would  free  us  all 
from  much  anxiety. 

We  had  among  our  few  animals  a  horse 
which  was  so  much  reduced,  tliat,  with  trav- 
elling, even  the  good  grass  could  not  save 
him;  and,  having  nothing  to  eat,  he  was 
killed  this  afternoon.  He  was  a  good  ani- 
mal, and  had  made  the  journey  round  from 
Fort  Hall. 

Dodecatheon  dentatum  continued  the  cha- 
racteristic plant  in  flower ;  and  the  naked- 
looking  shrub  already  mentioned  continued 
characteristic,  beginning  to  put  forth  a  small 
white  blossom.  At  evenin?  the  men  re- 
turned, having  seen  or  hearcfnothing  of  Mr. 
Preuss ;  and  I  determined  to  make  a  hard 
push  down  the  river  the  next  morning,  and 
get  ahead  of  him. 

March  4. — ^We  continued  rapidly  along  on 
a  broad  plainly-beaten  trail,  the  mere  travel- 
ling and  breathing  the  delightful  air  being  a 
positive  enjoyment.  Our  road  led  along  a 
ridge  inclining  to  the  river,  and  the  air  and 
the  open  grounds  were  fragrant  with  f^owe^ 
ing  shrubs ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  morn- 
ing we  issued  on  an  open  spur,  by  which  we 
descended  directly  to  the  stream.  Here  the 
river  issues  suddenly  from  the  mountains, 
which  hitherto  had  hemmed  it  closely  in; 
these  now  become  softer,  and  change  sensi- 
bly their  character;  and  at  this  point  com- 
mences the  most  beautiful  valley  in  which 
we  had  ever  travelled.  We  hurried  to  the 
river,  on  which  we  noticed  a  small  sand 
beach,  tcyvhich  Mr.  Preuss  would  naturally 
have  gore.  We  found  no  trace  of  him,  but, 
instead,  were  recent  tracks  of  bare-footed 
Indians,  and  little  piles  of  muscle  shells,  and 
old  fires  where  they  had  roasted  the  fish. 
We  travelled  on  over  the  river  grounds, 
which  were  undulating,  and  covered  with 
grass  to  the  river  brink.  We  halted  to  noon 
a  few  miles  beyond,  always  under  the  shade 
of  the  evergrep.i  oaks,  which  formed  open 
groves  on  the  bottoms. 

Continuing  our  road  in  the  afternoon,  ws 
ascended  to  the  uplands,  where  the  rivw 


•* 


n  the  rivGr,  which 
lanks;  but  h«ie, 
er,  the  country  ig 
est  has  no  undeN 
alleys  of  rivulets, 
he  low  groves  of 
ce  of  orchards  in 

Occasionally  wc 
lecessary  time  for 

orchard  grounds, 
to  make  an  effi)rt 
in  took  his  way 
the  river,  in  hope 
ther  took  our  own 
■era  ;  and  to  the 
sed  a  pair  of  pis- 
as  a  token  of  gra- 
would  free  us  all 

V  animals  a  horne 
ed,  that,  with  trav- 
ss  could  not  save 
ig  to  eat,  he  was 
3  was  a  good  ani- 
)urney  round  from 

lontinued  the  cba- 

;  and  the  naked- 

intioned  continued 

0  put  forth  a  small 
ling  the  men  n- 
ara  nothing  of  Mr. 
d  to  make  a  hard 
next  morning,  and 

ed  rapidly  along  on 
.il,  the  mere  travel- 
lightful  air  being  a 
■  road  led  along  a 
er,  and  the  air  and 
agrant  with  flowe^ 
ourse  of  the  mom- 

1  spur,  by  which  we 
stream.  Here  the 
)m  the  mountains, 
imed  it  closely  in; 

and  change  sensi- 
at  this  point  com- 
ful  valley  in  which 
We  hurried  to  the 
iced  a  small  sand 
isB  would  naturallj 
o  trace  of  him,  but, 
icks  of  bare-footed 
f  muscle  shells,  and 
it  roasted  the  fiah. 
the  river  grounds, 
and  covered  with 
We  halted  to  noon 
ys  under  the  shade 
vhich  formed  opea 

Q  the  afternoon,  ifB 
B,  where  the  river 


lt44.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


140 


ptases  round  a  point  of  great  beauty,  and 
goes  through  very  remarkable  dalles,  in  cha- 
racter resembling  those  of  the  Columbia. 
Beyond,  we  again  descended  to  the  bottoms, 
ffhere  we  found  an  Indian  village,  consisting 
of  two  or  throe  huts ;  we  had  come  upon 
them  suddenly,  and  the  people  had  evidently 
just  run  off.  Tiie  lints  were  low  and  slight, 
made  like  beehives  in  a  picture,  five  or  six 
feet  high,  and  near  each  was  a  crate,  formed 
of  interlaced  branches  and  grass,  in  size  and 
shape  like  a  very  large  hogshead.  Each  of 
these  contained  IVom  six  to  nine  bushels. 
The=e  were  filliil  with  the  long  acorns  al- 
ready mentioned,  and  in  the  huts  were 
several  neatly  made  bii.^kets,  containing  quan- 
tities of  the  acorns  roasted.  They  were 
sweet  and  agreeably  flavored,  and  we  sup- 
plied o!;'.v\.ives  with  about  half  a  bushel, 
leaving  one  of  our  shirts,  a  handkerchief,  and 
some  smaller  articles,  in  exchange.  The 
river  again  entered  for  a  space  among  hills, 
and  we  followed  a  trail  leading  across  a  bend 
through  a  handsome  hollow  behind.  Here, 
while  engaged  in  trying  to  circumvent  a  deer, 
we  discovered  some  Indians  on  a  hill  several 
hundred  yards  ahead,  and  gave  them  a  shout, 
to  which  they  responded  by  loud  and  rapid 
talking  and  vehement  gesticulation,  but  made 
no  stop,  hurry  in^;'  up  the  mountain  as  fast  as 
their  legs  coui  -ry  them.  We  passed 
on,  and  again        .  ;  ed  in  a  grassy  grove. 

The  absen'.  ,h.  Preuss  gave  me  great 
concern ;  and,  for  a  large  reward,  Derosier 
velunteered  to  go  b»ck  on  the  trail.  I  di- 
rected him  to  search  along  the  river,  travel- 
ling upward  for  the  space  o(  a  day  and  a 
half,  at  which  time  I  expected  he  would 
nieet  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  whom  I  requested  to 
aid  in  the  search ;  at  all  events,  he  was  to 
go  no  farther,  but  return  to  this  camp,  where 
a  cache  of  provisions  was  made  for  him. 

Continuing  the  next  day  down  the  river, 
we  discovered  three  squaws  in  a  little  bot- 
tom, and  surrounded  them  before  they  could 
make  their  escape.  They  had  large  conical 
baskets,  which  they  were  engaged  in  filling 
with  a  small  leafy  plant  (erodium  cicviari- 
«m)  just  now  beginning  to  bloom,  and  cov- 
ering the  ground  like  a  sward  of  grass. 
These  did  not  make  any  lamentations,  but 
appeared  very  much  impressed  with  our  ap- 
peararce,  speaking  to  us' only  in  a  whisper, 
and  oflfering  us  smaller  baskets  of  the  plant, 
which  they  signified  to  us  was  good  to  eat, 
making  signs  also  that  it  was  to  be  cooked 
by  the  fire.  We  drew  out  a  little  cold  horse 
meat,  and  the  squaws  made  signs  to  us  that 
the  men  had  gone  out  after  deer,  and  that 
we  could  have  some  by  waiting  till  they 
canoe  in.  We  observed  that  the  horses  ate 
with  great  avidity  the  herb  which  they  had 
been  gathering ;  and  here  also,  for  the  first 
tine,  we  eaw  Indians  eat  the  common  grass 


— one  of  the  squaws  pulling  several  tufts, 
and  eating  it  with  apparent  relish.  Seeing 
our  surprise,  she  pointed  to  the  horses ;  but 
we  could  not  well  understand  what  she 
meant,  except,  perhaps,  that  whnt  was  good 
for  the  one  was  good  for  the  other. 

We  encamped  in  the  evening  on  the  shore 
of  tlie  river,  at  a  place  where  the  associated 
beauties  of  scenery  made  so  strong  an  im- 
pression on  us  that  we  have  given  it  the 
name  of  the  Beautiful  Camp.  The  undulat- 
ing river  shore  was  shaded  with  the  live 
oaks,  which  formed  a  continuous  grove  over 
the  country,  and  the  same  grassy  sward  ex- 
tended to  the  edge  of  the  water ;  and  we 
made  our  fires  near  some  large  granite 
masses  which  were  lying  among  the  trees. 
We  hvi  seen  several  of  the  acorn  caches  du- 
ring the  day  •.  n.u':  liere  there  were  two  which 
were  very  large,  containing  each,  probably, 
ten  bushels.  Towards  evening  we  heard  a 
weak  shout  amon<r  the  hills  behind,  and  had 
the  pleasure  to  see  Mr.  Preuss  descendinj 
towards  the  camp.  Like  ourselves,  he  h 
trnvfiled  to-day  25  miles,  but  had  seen 
nothing  of  Derosier.  Knowing,  on  the  day 
he  was  lost,  that  I  was  determined  to  keep 
the  river  as  much  as  possible,  he  had  not 
thought  it  necessary  to  follow  the  trail  very 
closely,  bat  walked  on,  right  and  left,  cer- 
tain to  find  it  somewhere  along  the  river, 
searching  places  to  obtain  good  views  of  the 
country.  Towards  sunset  he  climbed  down 
towards  the  river  to  look  for  the  camp ;  but, 
finding  no  trail,  concluded  that  we  were  be- 
hind, and  walked  back  until  night  came  on, 
when,  being  very  much  fatigued,  he  collect- 
ed drift  wood  and  made  a  large  fire  among 
the  rocks.  The  next  day  it  became  more 
serious,  and  he  encamped  again  alone,  think- 
ing that  we  must  have  taken  some  other 
course.  To  gj  back  would  have  been  mad- 
ness in  his  weak  and  starved  condition,  and 
onward  towards  the  valley  was  his  onlj 
hope,  always  in  expectation  of  reaching  it 
soon.  His  principal  means  of  subsistence 
were  a  few  roots,  which  the  hunters  call 
sweet  onions,  having  very  little  taste,  but  a 
good  deal  of  nutriment,  growing  generally 
in  rocky  ground,  and  requiring  a  good  deal 
of  labor  to  get,  as  he  had  only  a  pocket  knife. 
Searching  for  these,  he  found  a  nest  of  big 
ants,  which  he  let  run  on  his  hand,  and 
stripped  them  off  in  his  mouth ;  these  had  an 
agreeable  acid  taste.  One  of  his  greatest 
privations  was  the  want  of  tobacco ;  and  a 
pleasant  smoke  at  evening  would  have  been 
a  relief  which  only  a  voyageur  could  appre- 
ciate. He  tried  the  dried  leaves  of  the  live 
oak,  knowing  that  those  of  other  oaks  were 
sometimes  used  as  a  substitute ;  but  these 
were  too  thick,  and  would  not  do.  On  the 
4th  he  made  seven  or  eight  miles,  walking 
slowly  along  the  river,  avoiding  as  maeh  w 


I 


150 


CAFr.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


(1844. 


possible  to  climb  the  hilk.  In  little  }a.uir  he 
caught  some  of  the  smallest  kind  of  frogs, 
which  he-  swallowed,  not  so  much  in  the 
gratification  of  hunger,  as  in  the  hope  of  ob- 
taining some  strength.  Scattered  along  the 
river  were  old  fire-places,  where  the  Indians 
had  roasted  muscles  and  acorns ;  but  though 
he  searched  diligently,  he  did  not  there  suc- 
ceei!  in  finding  either.  He  liad  collected 
fire  wood  for  the  night,  ;vhen  he  heard  at 
iome  distance  from  the  river  the  bari:ing  of 
what  he  thought  were  two  dogs,  and  vralked 
in  that  direction  as  quickly  as  he  was  able 
hoping  to  find  there  some  Indian  hut,  but 
met  only  two  wolves ;  and,  in  his  disappoint- 
ment, the  gloom  of  the  forest  was  doubled. 

Travelling  the  next  day  feebly  down  the 
river,  he  found  five  or  six  Indians  at  the  huts 
of  which  we  have  spoken ;  some  were  paint- 
ing themselves  black,  and  others  roasting 
acorns.  Being  only  one  man,  they  did  not 
run  off,  but  received  him  kindly,  and  gave 
him  a  welcome  supply  of  roasted  acorns. 
He  gave  them  his  pocket  knife  in  return, 
and  stretciied  out  his  hand  to  one  of  the  In- 
dians, who  did  not  appear  to  comprehend  tiio 
motion,  but  jumped  back,  as  iC  lie  tlioiioht  he 
was  about  to  lay  iiold  of  iiim.  Tliey  scorned 
afraid  of  him,  not  certain  as  to  What  lie 
was. 

Travelliiitf  on,  lie  cr.me  to  the  placo  wlicro 
we  had  found  tlie  ycjuaws.  Hero  lie  found 
our  fire  still  burnini;',  and  the  tracks  of  tiie 
horses.  The  sight  oave  him  sudden  liope 
and  courage  ;  and,  followina'  as  last  a.i  ho 
could,  joined  us  at  cv.'niiif.r. 

March  G. — Wo  continued  on  our  road, 
through  the  same  surpassingly  beautiful 
country,  entirely  unequalled  for  the  pastur- 
age of  stock  bv  anything  we  had  ever  seen. 
Our  hOT.ses  had  now  become  so  strong  that 
they  were  able  to  carry  us,  and  we  travelled 
rapidly — over  four  miles  an  hour  ;  four  of  us 
riding  every  alternate  hour.  Every  few 
hundred  yards  we  came  upon  a  little  band  of 
deer ;  but  we  were  too  eager  to  reach  the 
settlement,  which  we  momentarily  expected 
to  discover,  to  halt  for  any  other  than  a  pass- 
ing shot.  In  a  few  hours  we  reached  a  large 
fork,  the  northern  branch  of  the  river,  and 
equal  in  size  to  that  which  we  had  descend- 
ed. Together  they  formed  a  beautiful 
stream,  60  to  100  yards  wide  ;  which  at  first, 
ignorant  of  the  nature  of  the  country  through 
»'hlcn  that  river  ran,  we  look  t'^  bo  thf*  Sa- 
cramento. 

We  continued  down  the  right  bank  of  the 
river,  travelling  for  a  while  over  a  wooded 
upland,  where  we  had  the  delight  to  discover 
tracks  of  cattle.  To  the  southwest  was  visi- 
ble a  black  column  of  smoke,  which  we  had 
frequently  noticed  in  descending,  arising 
from  the  fires  we  had  seen  from  tJie  top  of 
Ibe  Sierra.    From  the  upland  we  descended 


into  broad  groves  on  the  river,  consistfaw  o( 
the  evergreen,  and  a  new  species  of  white 
oak  with  a  large  tufted  top,  and  three  to  six 
feet  in  diameter.  Among  these  was  no 
brushwood  ;  and  the  grassy  surfac;  gave  to 
it  the  appearance  of  parks  in  an  old  settled 
country.  Following  the  tracks  of  the  horaea 
and  cattle  in  search  of  people,  we  discovered 
a  small  village  of  Indians.  Some  of  these 
had  on  shirts  of  civilized  manufacture,  but 
were  otherwise  naked,  and  we  could  under* 
stand  nothing  from  them  ;  they  appeared  en* 
tirely  astonished  at  seeing  us. 

We  made  an  acorn  meal  at  noon,  and 
hurried  on ;  the  valley  being  gay  with  flow- 
ers, and  some  of  the  banks  being  absolutely 
golden  with  the  Californian  poppy  (esch- 
schollzia  crocea).  Here  the  grass  was  smooth 
and  green,  and  the  groves  very  open ;  the 
large  oaks  throwing  a  broad  shade  among 
sunny  spots.  Shortly  aftcrv/ards  wo  gave  a 
shout  at  the  appearance  on  a  little  bluff  of  a 
neatly  built  adubc  house  with  glass  win- 
dows. We  rode  up,  but,  to  our  disappoint- 
ment, found  only  Indians,  Tiicre  was  no 
appearance  of  cultivation,  and  wo  could  see 
no  cattle,  and  we  supposed  the  placo  had 
been  abaiulonod.  We  now  pressed  on  more 
oajicrly  than  ever;  the  river  swept  round  in 
V  larii'o  beud  to  the  ri<xlit ;  the;  hills  lov.'ered 
down  onJirely  ;  and.  ^-radually  entering  a 
broad  valloy,  wo  caiii'>  une.xpectedly  into  a 
lari;e  indiaii  villagje,  where  the  peo[)lc  look- 
ed clean,  and  wore  coUon  shirts  and  various 
otli.T  articles  of  dr^ss.  They  iivimodiately 
c.rowdi^d  around  rs,  ;.n(l  v.c  li;i.d  the  inex- 
i>res~ili!n  delight  to  liiid  uno  who  spoke  a  lit- 
tle iudillercnt  Spaiiif:!',  but  who  at  iirst  con- 
Ibuiided  us  by  saying  there  wore  no  whites 
in  the  country ;  but  just  then  a  well-dressed 
Indian  came  up,  and  made  his  salutations  in 
very  well  spoken  Spanish.  In  answer  to 
our  inquiries,  he  informed  us  that  we  were 
upon  tlie  Rio  de  Ins  Americanos  (the  river  of 
the  Americans),  and  tliat  it  joined  the  Sa- 
cramento river  about  10  miles  below.  Never 
did  a  name  sound  more  sweetly !  We  felt 
ourselves  among  our  countrymen ;  for  the 
name  of  American,  in  these  distant  parts,  is 
applied  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
To  our  eager  inquiries  he  answered,  "  I  am 
a  vaquero  (cow  herd)  in  fhe  service  of  Capt. 
Sutter,  and  the  people  of  this  rancheria 
work  for  him."  Our  evident  satisfaction 
made  him  communicative ;  and  he  went  on 
to  say  that  Capt.  Sutter  was  a  very  rich 
man,  and  alvvaya  giad  to  see  his  country 
people.  We  asked  for  his  house.  He  an- 
swered, that  it  was  just  over  the  hill  before 
us ;  and  offered,  if  we  would  wait  a  moment, 
to  take  his  horse  and  conduct  us  to  it.  We 
readily  accepted  his  civil  ofier.  In  a  short 
distance  we  came  in  sight  of  the  fort ;  and, 
passing  on  the  way  the  house  of  a  settler  on 


iver,  consistiHgof 
species  of  whit* 
,  and  three  to  six 
g  these  was  no 
ly  surfac'i  gave  to 
I  in  an  old  settled 
racks  of  the  hones 
pic,  we  discovered 
Some  of  these 
manufacture,  but 
[]  we  could  under* 
tlioy  appeared  en. 
us. 

eal  at  noon,  and 
ng  gay  with  flow- 
s  being  absolutely 
ian    poppy  (esch- 
grass  was  smooth 
s  very  open ;  the 
Dad  shade  amcng 
irwards  \vc  gave  a 
1  a  little  bliilfof  a 
with  jjlass  win- 
to  our  disappoint- 
.     Tiicre  was  no 
and  we  could  see 
eil  the  place  had 
,v  pressed  on  more 
er  s\vcpt  round  in 
the  hills  lowered 
tliially   entering  a 
iK'xpectedly  into  a 
0  tlie  people  look- 
sliirts  ami  various 
They  imiiiodiately 
we  had  the  inex- 
\c  who  spoke  a  lit- 
it  who  at  iirst  cen- 
tre were  no  whites 
hen  a  well-dressed 
!  his  salutations  in 
h.      In  answer  to 
us  that  we  were 
icanos  (the  river  of 
;  it  joined  the  Sa- 
llies below.  Never 
sweetly !     We  felt 
intrymen ;  for  the 
!se  distant  parts,  is 
the  United  States, 
answered,  "  I  am 
he  service  of  Capt. 
of   this  rancheria 
krident  satisfaction 
;  and  he  went  on 
was  a  very  rich 
0  see  his  country 
is  house.    He  an- 
)ver  the  hill  before 
lid  wait  a  moment, 
luct  us  to  it.    We 
offer.    In  a  short 
t  of  the  fort ;  and, 
)use  of  a  setUer  on 


1844.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


161 


the  opposite  side  (a  Mr.  Sinclair),  we  forded 
the  river ;  and  in  a  few  miles  were  met  a 
short  distance  from  the  fort  by  Capt.  Sutter 
himself.  He  gave  us  a  most  frank  and  cor- 
dial reception — conducted  us  immediately  to 
his  residence — and  under  his  hospitable  roof 
we  had  a  night  of  rest,  enjoyment,  and  re- 
freshment, which  none  but  ourselves  could 
appreciate.  But  the  party  left  in  the  moun- 
tains with  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  were  to  be  at- 
tended to;  and  the  next  morning,  supplied 
with  fresh  horses  and  provisions,  I  hurried 
off  to  meet  them.  On  the  second  day  we 
met,  a  few  miles  below  tJie  forks  of  the  Rio 
de  los  Americanos  ;  and  a  more  forlorn  and 
pitiable  sight  than  tliey  presented,  cannot 
well  be  imagined.  They  were  all  on  foot — 
each  man,  weak  and  emaciated,  leading  a 
horse  o-  r;i,ilo  as  weak  and  emaciated  as 
themselves.  They  had  experienced  great 
dilficulty  in  descending  the  mountains,  made 
slippery  by  rains  and  melting  snows,  and 
many  horses  fell  over  precipices,  and  were 
killed ;  and  with  some  were  lost  the  packs 
they  carried.  Among  these,  was  a  mule 
with  the  plants  which  we  had  collected  sinct 
leaving  Fort  Hall,  along  a  line  of  2,000 
miles  travel.  Out  of  sixty-seven  horses  and 
aules  with  which  we  commenced  crossing 
the  Sierra,  only  thirty-three  reached  the  val- 
ley of  the  Sacramento,  and  they  only  in  a 
condition  to  be  led  along.  Mr.  Fitzpatrick 
and  his  party,  travelling  more  slowly,  had 
been  able  to  make  some  little  exertion  at 
hunting,  and  had  killed  a  few  deer.  The 
scanty  supply  was  a  great  relief  to  them ; 
for  several  had  been  made  sick  by  the  strange 
and  unwholesome  food  which  the  preserva- 
tion of  life  compelled  them  to  use.  We 
stopped  and  encamped  as  soon  as  we  met ; 
ana  a  repast  of  good  beef,  excellent  bread, 
and  delicious  salmon,  which  I  had  brought 
along,  were  their  first  relief  from  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  Sierra,  and  their  first  intro- 
dnction  to  the  luxuries  of  the  Sacramento. 
It  required  all  our  philosophy  and  forbear- 
ance to  prevent  plenty  from  becoming  as 
hurtful  to  us  now,  as  scarcity  had  been  be- 
fore. 

The  next  day,  March  8th,  we  encamped 
at  the  junction  of  the  two  rivers,  the  Sacra- 
mento and  Americanos ;  and  thus  found  the 
whole  party  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Sacramento.  It  was  a  convenient  place  for 
the  camp  ;  anJ,  among  other  things,  was 
within  reach  of  the  wood  necessary  to  make 
the  pack  saddles,  which  we  should  need  on 
our  long  journey  home,  from  which  we  were 
fitfther  distant  now  than  we  were  four  months 
before,  when  from  the  Dalles  of  the  Colum- 
bia we  so  cheerfully  took  up  the  homeward 
line  of  march. 

Captain  Sutter  emigrated  to  this  country 
feuB  the  western  part  of  Missouri  in  1838- 


1839,  and  formed  the  first  settlement  in  the 
valley,  on  a  large  grant  of  land  which  he  ol^ 
tained  from  the  IVlexican  Government.  He 
had,  at  first,  some  trouble  with  the  Indians ; 
but,  by  the  occasional  exercise  of  well-timed 
authority,  he  has  succeeded  in  converting 
them  into  a  peaceable  and  industrious  peo- 
ple. The  ditches  around  his  extensive 
wheat  fields;  the  making  of  the  sun-dried 
bricks,  of  which  his  fort  is  constructed  ;  the 
ploughing,  harrowing,  and  other  agricultural 
operations,  are  entirely  the  work  of  these 
Indians,  for  which  they  receive  a  very  mo- 
derate compensation — principally  in  shirts, 
blankets,  and  other  articles  of  clothing.  In 
the  same  manner,  on  application  to  the  chief 
of  a  village,  he  readily  obtains  as  many  boys 
and  girls  as  he  has  any  use  for.  There 
were  at  this  tin"  u  number  of  girls  at  the 
fort,  in  training  for  a  future  woollen  factory; 
but  they  were  now  all  busily  engaged  in 
constantly  watering  the  gardens,  which  the 
unfavorable  dryness  of  the  season  rendered 
necessary.  The  occasional  dryness  of  some 
ppasuns,  I  understood  to  be  the  only  com- 
plaint of  the  settlers  in  this  fertile  vallej',  as 
it  sometimes  renders  the  crops  uncertain. 
Mr.  Sutter  was  about  making  arrangements 
to  irrigate  his  lands  by  means  of  the  Rio  de 
los  Americanos.  He  had  this  year  sown, 
and  altogether  by  Indian  labor,  three  hun- 
dred fanegas  of  wheat. 

A  few  years  since,  the  neighboring  Rus- 
sian establishment  of  Ross,  being  about  to 
withdraw  from  the  country,  sola  to  him  a 
large  number  of  stock,  with  agricultural 
ana  other  stores,  with  a  number  of  pieces 
of  artillery  and  other  munitions  of  war ;  for 
these,  a  regular  yearly  payment  is  made  in 
grain. 

The  fort  is  a  quadrangular  adobe  struc- 
ture, mounting  twelve  pieces  of  artillery 
(two  of  them  brass),  and  capable  of  admit- 
ting a  garrison  of  a  thousand  men ;  this,  at 
present,  consists  of  forty  Indians,  in  uniform 
— one  of  whom  was  always  found  on  duty 
at  the  gate.  As  might  naturally  be  expect- 
ed, the  pieces  are  not  in  very  good  order. 
The  whites  in  the  employment  of  Capt.  Sut- 
ter, American,  French  and  German,  amount, 
perhaps,  to  thirty  men.  The  inner  wall  is 
formed  into  bnildings,  comprising  the  com- 
mon quarters,  with  blacksmith  and  other 
workshops  ;  the  dwelling  house,  witli  a  large 
distillery  house,  and  other  buildings,  occu- 
pying more  the  centre  of  the  area. 

It  is  built  upon  a  pond-like  stream,  at 
times  a  running  creek  communicating  with 
the  Rio  de  los  Americanos,  which  enters  the 
Sacramento  about  two  miles  below.  The 
latter  is  here  a  noble  river,  about  three  hun- 
dred yards  broad,  deep  and  tranquil,  with 
several  fathoms  of  water  in  the  channel,  and 
its  banks   continuously  timbered.      Then 


IM 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRA'HVE. 


Ct«ii 


were  two  vessels  belonging  to  Capt.  Sutter 
St  anchor  near  the  landing — one  a  large 
two-masted  lighter,  and  the  other  a  schoo- 
ner, which  was  shortly  to  proceed  on  a 
voyage  to  Fort  Vancouver  for  a  cargo  of 
goods. 

Since  his  arrival,  several  other  persons, 
p>liibipa!'y  Americans,  have  established 
themselves  m  the  valley.  Mr.  Sinclair,  from 
whom  I  experienced  much  kindness  during 
my  stay,  is  settled  a  few  miles  distant,  on  the 
Rio  de  los  Americanos.     Mr.  Coudrois,  a 

fentleman  from  Germany,  has  established 
imself  on  Feather  river,  and  is  associated 
with  Captain  Sutter  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. Among  other  improvements,  they  are 
about  to  intr(^uce  the  cultivation  of  rape 
seed  (hrassica  rapus),  which  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  is  admirably  adapted  to  the 
climate  and  soil.  The  lowest  average  pro- 
duce of  wheat,  as  far  as  we  can  at  present 
know,  is  thirty-five  fanegas  for  one  sown  ; 
but,  as  an  instance  of  its  fertility,  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  Senor  Valejo  obtained,  on  a 
piece  of  ground  where  sheep  had  been  pas- 
tured, 800  faneffas  for  eight  sown.  The 
produce  being  diiferent  in  various  places,  a 
very  correot  idea  cannot  be  formed. 

An  impetus  was  given  to  the  active  little 
population  by  our  arrival,  as  we  were  in 
want  of  everything.  Mules,  hnrsos,  and 
cattle,  were  to  be  collected  ;  the  horse  mill 
was  at  work  day  and  nioht,  to  make  sulll- 
cient  flour ;  the  black^^mitli's  shop  was  put  in 
requisition  for  horse  shoes  and  bridle  bits  ; 
and  pack-saddles,  ropes,  and  bridles,  and  all 
the  other  little  equipments  of  the  camp,  were 
again  to  be  provided. 

The  delay  thus  occasioned  was  one  of  re- 
pose and  enjoyment,  which  our  situation  re- 
quired, and,  anxious  as  we  were  to  re- 
sume our  homeward  journey,  was  regretted 
by  no  one.  In  the  meantime,  I  had  the  plea- 
sure to  meet  with  Mr.  Chiles,  who  was  re- 
siding at  a  farm  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  Sacramento,  while  engaged  in  the  se- 
lection of  a  place  for  a  settlement,  for  which 
he  had  received  the  necessary  grant  of  land 
from  the  Mexican  Government. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  we  had  parted 
near  the  frontier  of  the  States,  and  that  he 
had  subsequently  descended  the  valley  of 
Lewis's  fork,  with  a  party  of  ten  or  twelve 
men,  with  the  intention  of  crossing  the  in- 
termediate mountains  to  the  waters  of  the 
bay  of  San  Francisco.  In  the  execution  of 
this  design,  and  aided  by  subsequent  infor- 
mation, ne  left  the  Columbia  at  the  mouth 
of  Malheur  river ;  and  making  his  way  to 
the  head  waters  of  the  Sacramento  with  a 
part  of  his  company,  travelled  down  that 
river  to  the  settlements  of  Nueva  Helvetia. 
The  other  party,  to  whom  he  had  committed 
U*  wagons,  and  rail!  irons  and  saws,  took  a 


course  further  to  the  south,  and  the  wagoiu 
and  their  contents  wore  lost. 

On  the  22(1  we  ma  ie  a  preparatory  mot^ 
and  encamped  near  the  settlement  of  Mr. 
Sinclair,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Rio  de  los 
Americanos.  I  had  discharged  five  of  the 
party;  Neal,  the  blacksmith  (an  excelleu 
wo  in,  and  an  unmarried  man,  who  had 
don.  i '  duty  faithfully,  and  h  \  been  of 
veij  .-eat  service  to  me),  desired  lo  remain, 
as  strong  inducements  were  ofTered  here  to 
mechanics.  Although  at  considerable  in- 
convenience to  myself,  his  good  conduct  in- 
duced me  to  comply  with  his  request ;  and 
I  obtained  for  him,  from  Captain  Sutter,  a 
present  compensation  of  two  dollars  and  a 
half  per  diem,  with  a  promise  that  it  should 
be  increased  to  five,  if  he  proved  as  good  a 
workman  as  had  been  represented.  He  was 
more  particularly  an  agricultural  blacksmith. 
The  other  men  were  discharged  with  their 
own  consent. 

While  we  remained  at  this  place,  Dero- 
sier,  one  of  our  best  men,  whose  steady 
good  conduct  had  won  my  regard,  wandered 
off  from  the  camp,  and  never  returned  to  it 
again  ;  nor  has  he  since  been  heard  of. 

March  24. — VVe  resumed  our  journey 
with  an  ample  stock  of  provisions  and  a 
large  cavalcade  of  animals,  consisting  of 
130  horses  and  mules,  and  about  thirty  head 
of  cuttle,  five  of  wliicii  were  milch  cows. 
Mr.  (Sutter  furnished  us  also  with  an  Indian 
boy,  who  had  been  trained  as  a  raquci-o,  and 
v.ho  would  be  serviceable  in  managing  our 
cavalcade,  great  part  of  which  were  nearly 
as  wild  as  buffalo;  and  who  was,  besides, 
very  anxious  to  go  along  with  us.  Our  di- 
rect course  home  was  east ;  but  the  Sierra 
would  force  us  south,  above  five  hundred 
miles  of  travelling,  to  a  pass  at  ihe  head  oi 
the  San  Joaquin  river.  This  pass,  reporteo 
to  be  good,  was  discovered  by  Mr.  .'oseph 
Walker,  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken, 
and  whose  name  it  m.ght  therefore  appro- 
priately bear.  To  reach  it,  our  course  lay 
along  the  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin — the 
river  on  our  right,  and  the  lofty  wall  of  the 
impassable  Sierra  on  the  left.  From  that 
pass  we  were  to  move  southeastwardly, 
having  the  Sierra  then  on  the  right,  and 
reach  tlie  "  Spanish  trail"  deviously  traced 
from  one  watering  place  to  another,  which 
constituted  the  route  of  the  caravans  from 
Puebla  de  los  Angeles,  near  the  coast  of  the 
Pacific,  to  Santa  Fi  of  New  Mexico.  From 
the  pass  to  this  trail  was  150  miles.  Fol- 
lowing that  trail  through  a  desert,  relieved 
by  some  fertile  plains  indicated  by  the  re- 
currence of  the  term  vcgas,  until  it  turned 
to  the  right  to  cross  the  Coloradt;,  our  course 
would  be  northeast  until  we  regained  the 
latitude  we  had  lost  in  arriving  at  the  Entak 
lake,  and  thence  to  the  Rocky  mountains  at 


h,  and  the  wajponi 

>8t. 

preparatory  move, 
settlement  of  Mr. 

of  the  Rio  da  los 
charged  five  of  the 
nith  (an  excelleit 
ied  man,  who  had 

and  h:  1  been  of 
,  desired  lo  remain, 
ere  offered  here  to 
it  considerable  in- 
s  good  conduct  in- 
1  his  request;  and 

Captain  Sutter,  a 

two  dollars  and  a 

)mise  ti)!it  it  should 

proved  as  good  a 
resented.  He  was 
sultural  blacksmith, 
charged  with  their 

it  this  place,  Dero- 
len,  whose  steady 
y  regard,  wandered 
lever  returned  to  it 
been  heard  of. 
iriied  our  journey 
if  provisions  and  a 
mals,  consisting  of 
id  about  thirty  head 

were  milch  cows. 
aI.<o  with  an  Indian 
'(]  as  a  xaqnero,  and 
lo  in  managing  our 
which  were  nearly 

who  was,  besides, 
J  with  us.  Our  di- 
ist ;  but  the  Sierra 
ibove  five  hundred 
pass  at  ihe  head  ot 
This  pass,  reporteo 
ered  by  Mr.  .'oseph 
ve  already  spoken, 
»ht  therefore  appro- 
1  it,  our  course  lay 

San  Joaquin — the 
he  loily  wall  of  the 
le  left.  From  that 
3    southeastwardly, 

on  the  right,  and 
I"  deviously  traced 
e  to  another,  which 

the  caravans  from 
^ar  the  coast  of  the 
Tew  Mexico.  Prom 
IS  !fiO  miles,  Fol- 
1  a  desert,  relieved 
ndicatcd  by  the  re* 
it  turned 
our  course 
1  we  regained  the 
rriving  at  the  Entak 
locky  mountains  it 


UU.] 


CAPT.  FRBMONTS  NARRATIYE. 


Mt 


<ras^  urtil 
^oloradi; 


dM  head  of  the  Arkansas.  This  conne  of 
MTelling,  forced  upon  us  by  the  structare 
of  the  country,  would  occupy  a  computed 
distance  of  two  thousand  miles  before  we 
reached  the  head  of  the  Arkansas ;  not  a 
lettlement  to  be  seen  upon  it;  and  the 
names  of  places  along  it,  all  being  Spanish 
or  Indian,  indicated  that  it  had  been  but  lit- 
tle trod  by  American  feet.  Though  long, 
and  not  free  from  hardships,  this  route  pre- 
aented  some  points  of  attraction,  in  tracing 
the  Sierra  Nevada — turning  the  Great  Basin, 
perhaps  crossing  its  rim  on  the  south — com- 
pletely solving  the  problem  of  any  river,  ex- 
cept the  Colorado,  from  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains on  that  part  of  our  continent — and 
teeing  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Great 
Salt  Take,  of  which  the  northern  part  had 
been  examined  the  year  before. 

Taking  leave  of  Mr.  Sutter,  who,  with 
several  gentlemen,  accompanied  us  a  few 
miles  on  our  way,  we  travelled  about  eight- 
een miles,  and  encamped  on  the  Rio  de  Ins 
Cosumnes,  a  stream  receiving  its  name  from 
the  Indians  who  live  in  its  valley.  Our  road 
was  through  a  level  country,  admirably 
suited  to  cultivation,  and  covered  with 
groves  of  oak  trees,  principally  the  ever- 
green oak,  and  a  largo  oak  already  men- 
tioned, in  form  like  those  of  the  white  oak. 
The  weather,  which  here,  at  this  season, 
can  easily  be  changed  from  the  summer  heat 
of  the  valley  to  the  frosty  mornings  and 
bright  days  nearer  the  mountains,  conti- 
nued delightful  for  travellers,  but  unfavora- 
ble to  the  agriculturists,  whose  crops  of 
wheat  began  to  wear  a  yellow  tinge  from 
want  of  rain. 

March  25. — We  travelled  for  28  miles 
over  the  same  delightful  country  as  yester- 
day, and  halted  in  a  beautiful  bottom  at  the 
ford  of  the  Rio  de  los  Mukelemnes,  receiving 
its  name  from  another  Indian  tribe  living  on 
the  river.  The  bottoms  on  the  stream  are 
broad,  rich,  and  extremely  fertile ;  and  the 
uplands  are  siiaded  with  oak  groves.  A 
showy  lupinus,  of  extraordinary  beauty, 
growing  four  to  five  feet  in  height,  and  co- 
vered with  spikes  in  bloom,  adorned  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  filled  the  air  witli  a 
light  and  grateful  perfume. 

On  the  26th  we  halted  at  the  Arroyo  de 
las  Calaveras  (Skull  creek),  a  tributary  to 
the  San  Joaquin — the  prfevious  two  streams 
entering  the  bay  between  the  San  Joaquin 
and  Sacramento  rivers.  This  place  is  beau- 
tiful, with  open  groves  of  oak,  and  a  grassy 
sward  beneath,  with  many  plants  in  bloom  ; 
some  varieties  of  which  seem  to  love  the 
shade  of  the  trees,  and  grow  there  in  close 
small  fields.  Near  the  river,  and  replacing 
the  grass,  are  great  quantities  of  ammole 
(soap  plant),  the  leaves  of  which  are  used  in 
California  for  making,  among  otlier  things. 


mats  for  saddle  cloths.  A  vine  with  a 
white  flower  (mdothria?)  called  here  Is 
yerba  biiena,  ana  which,  from  its  abundance, 
gives  name  to  an  island  and  town  in  the  bay, 
was  to-day  very  frequent  on  our  i-oad — some- 
times running  on  the  ground  or  climbing  the. 
trees. 

March  37. — To-day  we  travelled  steadily 
and  rapidly  up  the  valley ;  for,  with  our  wild 
animals,  any  other  gait  was  impossible,  and 
making  about  five  miles  an  hour.  During 
the  earlier  part  of  the  day,  our  ride  had  been 
over  a  very  level  prairie,  or  rather  a  succes- 
sion of  long  stretches  of  prairie,  separated  by 
lines  and  groves  of  oak  timber,  growing  along 
dry  gullies,  which  are  filled  with  water  in 
seasons  of  rain ;  and,  perhaps,  also,  by  the 
melting  snows.  Over  much  of  this  extent, 
the  vegetation  was  sparse ;  the  surface  show- 
ing plainly  the  action  of  water,  which,  in  the 
season  of  flood,  the  Joaquin  spreads  over  the 
valley.  About  1  o'clock  we  came  again 
among  innumerable  flowers  ;  and  a  few 
miles  further,  fields  of  the  beautiful  blue- 
flowering  lupine,  which  seems  to  love  the 
neighborhood  of  water,  indicated  that  we 
were  approaching  a  stream.  We  here  found 
this  beautiful  slirub  in  thickets,  some  of 
them  being  12  feet  in  height.  Occasionally 
three  or  four  plants  were  clustered  together, 
forming  a  grand  bouquet,  about  90  feet  in 
circumference,  and  10  feet  high  ;  the  whole 
summit  covered  with  spikes  of  flowers,  the 
perfume  of  which  is  very  sweet  and  grateful. 
A  lover  of  natural  beauty  can  imagine  with 
what  pleasure  we  rode  among  these  flower- 
ing groves,  which  filled  tlie  air  v.ilii  a  light, 
and  delicate  fragrance.  We  continued  our 
road  for  about  half  a  mile,  interspersed 
through  an  open  grove  of  live  oaks,  which, 
in  form,  were  the  most  symmetrical  and 
beautiful  we  had  yet  seen  in  this  country. 
The  ends  of  their  branches  rested  on  the 
ground,  forming  somewhat  more  than  a  half 
sphere  of  very  full  and  regular  figure,  with 
leaves  apparently  smaller  than  usual. 

The  Californian  poppy,  of  a  rich  orange 
color,  was  numerous  to-day.  Elk  and  several 
bands  of  antelope  made  their  appearance. 

Our  road  was  now  one  continued  enjoy- 
ment ;  and  it  was  pleasant,  riding  among  this 
assemblage  of  green  pastures  with  varied 
flowers  and  scattered  groves,  and  out  of  the 
warm  green  spring,  to  look  at  the  rocky  and 
snowy  peaks  where  lately  we  had  suffered 
so  much.  Emerging  from  the  timber,  we 
came  suddenly  upon  the  Stanislaus  river, 
where  we  hoped  to  find  a  ford,  but  the  stream 
was  flowing  by,  dark  and  deep,  swollen  by 
the  mountain  snows ;  its  general  breadth 
was  about  60  yards. 

We  travelled  about  five  miles  up  the  river, 
and  encamped  without  being  able  to  find  a 
ford.    Here  we  made  a  large  corcU,  in  onto* 


154 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


L1844 


n  be  able  to  catch  a  sufficient  number  of 
our  wild  animals  to  relieve  those  previously 
packed. 

Under  the  shade  of  the  oaks,  along  the 
river,  I  noticed  erodium  cicutarium  in  bloom, 
eight  or  ten  inches  high.  This  is  the  plant 
which  we  had  seen  the  squaws  gathering  on 
the  Rio  de  los  Americanos.  By  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  valley,  it  is  highly  esteemed  for 
fattening  cattle,  which  appear  to  be  very 
fond  of  it.  Here,  where  the  soil  begins  to 
be  sandy,  it  supplies  to  a  considerable  extent 
the  want  of  grass. 

Desirous,  as  far  as  possible,  without  delay, 
to  include  in  our  examination  the  San  Joa- 
quin river,  I  returned  this  morning  down  the 
Stanislaus  for  17  miles,  and  again  encamped 
without  having  found  a  fording  place.  After 
following  it  for  8  miles  further  the  next 
morning,  and  finding  ourselves  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  San  Joaquin,  encamped  in  a  hand- 
some oak  grove,  and,  several  cattle  being 
killed,  we  ferried  over  our  baggage  in  their 
skins.  Here  our  Indian  boy,  who  probably 
had  not  much  idea  of  where  he  was  going, 
and  began  to  be  alarmed  at  the  many  streams 
which  we  were  rapidly  putting  between  him 
and  the  village,  deserted. 

Thirteen  bead  of  cattle  took  a  sudden 
fright,  while  we  were  driving  them  across 
the  river,  and  galloped  off.  I  remained  a 
day  in  the  endeavor  to  recover  them ;  but, 
finding  they  had  taken  the  trail  back  to  the 
fort,  let  them  go  without  further  effort. 
Here  we  had  several  days  of  warm  and  plea- 
sant rain,  which  doubtless  saved  the  crops 
below. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  we  made  10  miles 
across  a  prairie  without  timber,  when  we 
were  stopped  again  by  another  large  river, 
which  is  called  the  Rio  de  la  Merced  (river 
of  our  Lady  of  Mercy).  Here  the  country 
bad  lost  its  character  of  extreme  fertility,  the 
soil  having  become  more  sandy  and  light ; 
but,  for  several  days  past,  its  beauty  had  been 
increased  by  the  additional  animation  of  ani- 
mal life ;  and  now,  it  is  crowded  with  bands 
of  elk  and  wild  horses  ;  and  along  the  rivers 
are  frequent  fresh  tracks  of  grizzly  bear, 
which  are  unusually  numerous  in  this  coun- 
try. 

Our  route  had  been  along  the  timber  of  the 
Ran  Joaquin,  generally  about  8  miles  distant, 
over  a  high  prairie. 

In  one  of  the  bands  of  elk  seen  to-day, 
there  were  about  200 ;  but  the  larger  bands. 
both  of  these  and  wild  horses,  are  generally 
found  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  which, 
for  that  reason,  I  avoided  crossing.  I  had 
been  informed  below,  that  the  droves  of  wild 
horses  were  almost  invariably  found  on  the 
western  bank  of  the  river ;  and  the  danger 
of  losing  our  animals  among  them,  together 
with  the  wish  of  adding  to  our  reconnois- 


sance  the  numersus  streams  which  run  down 
from  the  Sierra,  decided  me  to  travel  up  th« 
eastern  bank. 

April  2. — The  day  was  occupied  in  build* 
ing  a  boat,  and  ferrying  our  baggage  acroM 
the  river ;  and  we  encamped  on  the  bank. 
A  large  fishing  eagle,  with  white  head  and 
tail,  was  slowly  sailing  along,  looking  after 
salmon ;  and  there  were  some  pretty  birds  in 
the  timber,  with  partridges,  ducks,  and  geese 
innumerable  in  the  neighborhood.  We  were 
struck  with  the  tameness  of  the  latter  bird  at 
Helvetia,  scattered  about  in  flocks  near  the 
wheat  fields,  and  eating  grass  on  the  prairie ; 
a  horseman  would  ride  by  within  30  yarda, 
without  disturbing  them. 

April  3. — To-day  we  touched  several 
times  the  San  Joaquin  river — here  a  fine- 
looking  tranquil  stream,  with  a  slight  cur- 
rent, and  apparently  deep.  It  resembled  the 
Missouri  in  color,  with  occasional  points  of 
white  sand;  and  its  banks,  where  steep, 
were  a  kind  of  sandy  clay ;  its  average  width 
appeared  to  be  about  eighty  yards.  In  the 
b  ''toms  are  frequent  ponds,  where  our  ap- 
proach disturbed  multitudes  of  wild  fowl, 
principally  geese.  Skirting  along  the  tim- 
ber, we  frequently  started  elk ;  and  large 
bands  were  seen  during  the  day,  with  ante- 
lope and  wild  horses.  The  low  country  and 
the  timber  rendered  it  difficult  to  keep  the 
main  line  of  the  river ;  and  this  evening  we 
encamped  on  a  tributary  stream,  about  five 
miles  from  its  mouth.  On  the  prairie  border- 
ing the  San  Joaquin  bottoms,  there  occurred 
during  the  day  but  little  grass,  and  in  its 
place  was  a  sparse  and  dwarf  growth  of 
plants ;  the  coil  being  sandy,  with  small  bare 
places  and  hillocks,  reminded  me  much  of 
the  Platte  bottoms ;  but,  on  approaching  the 
timber,  we  found  a  more  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion ;  and  at  our  camp  was  an  abundance  of 
grass  and  pea  vines. 

The  foliage  of  the  oak  is  getting  darker ; 
and  everything,  except  that  the  weather  is  a 
little  cool,  Siiows  that  spring  is  rapidly  ad- 
vancing ;  and  to-day  we  had  quite  a  summer 
rain. 

April  4. — Commenced  to  rain  at  daylight, 
but  cleared  off  brightly  at  sunrise.  We  fer- 
ried the  river  without  any  difficulty,  and  con- 
tinued up  the  San  Joaquin.  Elk  were  run- 
ning in  bands  over  the  prairie  and  in  the 
skirt  of  the  timber.  We  reached  the  river 
again  at  the  mouth  of  a  large  slough,  which 
we  were  unable  to  ford,  and  made  a  circuit 
of  several  miles  around.  Here  the  country 
appears  very  flat ;  oak  trees  have  entirely 
disappeared,  and  are  replaced  by  a  large 
willow,  nearly  equal  to  it  in  size.  The 
rivsr  is  about  a  hundred  yards  in  breadth, 
branching  into  sloughs,  and  interspersed 
with  islands.  At  this  time  it  appears  suffi- 
ciently deep  for  a  email  steamer,  but  its  na> 


11844. 

fis  which  run  dowa 
le  to  travel  up  tht 

occupied  in  build* 
ur  baggage  acroH 
ped  on  the  bank, 
th  white  head  and 
long,  looking  after 
ome  pretty  birds  in 
3,  ducks,  and  geese 
orhood.  We  were 
of  the  latter  bird  at 

in  flocks  near  the 
rass  on  the  prairie ; 
y  within  30  yards, 

!  touched  several 
iver — here  a  fine- 
with  a  slight  cur- 
It  resembled  the 
ccasional  points  of 
uks,  where  steep, 
;  its  average  width 
hty  yards.  In  the 
ids,  where  onr  ap- 
ides  of  wild  fowl, 
ng  along  the  tim- 
id elk ;  and  large 
he  day,  with  ante- 
le  low  country  and 
ifficult  to  keep  the 
id  this  evening  we 
stream,  about  five 
1  the  prairie  border- 
)ms,  there  occurred 
!  grass,  and  in  its 
1  dwarf  growth  of 
idy,  with  small  bare 
inded  me  much  of 
)n  approaching  the 
5  luxuriant  vegeta- 
is  an  abundance  of 

I  is  getting  darker ; 
at  the  weather  is  a 
pring  is  rapidly  ad- 
tiad  quite  a  summer 

to  rain  at  daylight, 
;  sunrise.    We  fer- 
'  difficulty,  and  con- 
n.     Elk  were  run- 
prairie  and  in  the 
e  reached  the  river 
arge  slough,  which 
and  made  a  circuit 
Here  the  country 
trees  have  entirely 
placed  by  a  large 
it  in  size.     The 
yards  in  breadth, 
and  interspersed 
ne  it  appears  suffi- 
iteamer,  but  its  na* 


1M4.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


Tigttion  would  be  broken  by  shallows  at  low 
water.  Bearing  in  towards  the  river,  we 
were  again  forced  off  by  another  slough; 
and  passing  around,  steered  towards  a  clump 
of  trees  on  the  river,  and,  finding  there  good 
nrasB,  encamped.  The  prairies  along  the 
left  bank  are  alive  with  immense  droves  of 
wUd  horses ;  and  they  had  been  seen  during 
the  day  at  every  opening  through  the  woods 
which  afibrded  us  a  view  across  the  river. 
Latitude,  by  observation,  37o  08'  00" ;  lon- 
gitude 120"  46' 22". 

April  6. — During  the  earlier  part  of  the 
day's  ride,  the  country  presented  a  lacus- 
trine appearance  ;  the  river  was  deep,  and 
nearly  on  a  level  with  the  surrounding  coun- 
try ;  its  banks  raised  like  a  levee,  and  fring- 
ed with  willows.  Over  the  bordering  plain 
were  interspersed  spots  of  prairie  among 
fields  o(  luli  (bulrushes),  which  in  this  coun- 
try are  called  tulares,  and  little  ponds.  On 
the  opposite  side,  a  line  of  timber  was  visi- 
ble, which,  according  to  information,  points 
out  the  course  of  the  slough,  which  at  times 
of  high  water  connects  with  the  San  Joa- 
quin river — a  large  body  of  water  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  valley,  called  the  Tule 
lakes.  The  river  and  ail  its  sloughs  are 
very  full,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  lake  is 
now  discharging-.  Here  elk  were  frequent- 
ly started,  and  one  was  shot  out  of  a  band 
whick  ran  around  us.  On  our  left,  the 
Sierra  maintains  its  snowy  height,  and 
masses  of  snow  appear  to  descend  very  low 
towards  the  plains  ;  probably  the  late  rains 
in  the  valley  were  snow  on  the  mountains. 
We  travelled  37  miles,  and  encamped  on  the 
river.  Longitude  of  the  camp,  120"  28' 
34",  and  latitude  36°  49'  12". 

April  G. — After  having  travelled  fifteen 
miles  along  the  river,  we  made  an  early  halt, 
under  the  shade  of  sycamore  trees.  Here 
we  found  the  San  Joaquin  coming  down 
from  the  Sierra  with  a  westerly  course,  and 
checking  our  way,  as  all  its  tributaries  had 
previously  done.  We  had  expected  to  raft 
the  river ;  but  found  a  good  ford,  and  en- 
camped on  the  opposite  bank,  where  droves 
of  wild  horses  were  raising  clouds  of  dust 
on  the  prairie.  Columns  of  smoke  were 
visible  in  the  direction  of  the  Tule  lakes  to 
the  southward — probably  kindled  in  the  tu- 
lares by  the  Indians,  as  signals  that  there 
were  strangers  in  the  vajley. 

We  made,  on  the  7th,  a  hard  march  in  a 
cold  chilly  rain  from  morning  until  night — 
the  weather  so  thick  that  we  travelled  by 
compass.  This  was  a  traverse  from  the  San 
Joaquin  to  the  waters  of  the  Tule  lakes, 
and  our  road  was  over  a  very  level  prairie 
country.  We  saw  wolves  frequently  during 
the  day,  prowling  about  after  the  young  an- 
telope, which  cannot  run  very  fast.    These 


were  numerous  during  the  day,  and  two 
were  caught  by  the  people. 

Late  In  the  afternoon  we  discovered  thii> 
ber,  which  was  found  to  be  groves  of  oak 
trees  on  a  dry  arroyo.  The  rain,  which  had 
fallen  in  frequent  showers,  poured  down  in  a 
storm  at  sunset,  with  a  strong  wind,  which 
swept  off  the  clouds,  and  left  a  clear  sky. 
Riding  on  through  the  timber,  about  dark 
we  found  abundant  water  in  small  ponds,  20 
to  30  yards  in  diameter,  with  clear  deep 
water  and  sandy  beds,  bordered  with  boff 
rushes  (juncus  effusus),  and  a  tall  rush 
(scirpus  lacustris)  twelve  feet  high,  and  sur- 
rounded near  the  margin  with  willow  trees 
in  bloom  ;  among  them  one  which  resem* 
bled  salix  myricoides.  The  oak  of  the 
groves  was  the  same  already  mentioned, 
with  small  leaves,  in  form  like  those  of  the 
white  oak,  and  forming,  with  the  evergreen 
oak,  the  characteristic  trees  of  the  valley. 

April  8. — After  a  ride  of  two  miles 
through  brush  and  open  groves,  we  reached 
a  large  stream,  called  the  River  of  the  Lake, 
resembling  in  size  the  San  Joaquin,  and 
being  about  100  yards  broad.  This  is  the 
principal  tributary  to  the  Tule  lakes,  which 
collect  all  the  waters  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  valley.  While  we  were  searching  for  a 
ford,  some  Indians  appeared  on  the  opposite 
bank,  and,  having  discovered  that  we  were 
not  Spanish  soldiers,  showed  us  the  way  to 
a  good  ford  several  miles  above. 

The  Indians  of  the  Sierra  make  frequent 
descents  upon  the  settlements  west  of  the 
Coast  Range,  which  they  keep  constantly 
sweptof  horses  ;  amoufj  llif in  urcinanywho 
are  called  Christian  Indians,  being  refugees 
from  Spanish  missions.  Several  of  these 
incursions  occurred  while  we  were  at  Hel- 
vetia. Occasionally  parties  of  soldiers  fol- 
low them  across  the  Coast  Range,  but  never 
enter  the  Sierra. 

On  the  opposite  side  we  found  some  forty 
or  fifty  Indians,  who  had  come  to  meet  us 
from  the  village  below.  We  made  them 
some  small  presents,  and  invited  them  to  ac- 
company us  to  our  encampment,  which, 
after  about  three  miles  through  fine  oak 
groves,  we  made  on  the  river.  We  made  a 
fort,  principally  on  account  of  our  animals. 
The  Indians  brought  otter  skins,  and  several 
kinds  of  fish,  and  bread  made  of  acorns,  to 
trade.  Among  them  were  several  who  had 
come  to  live  among  these  Indians  when  the 
missions  were  broken  up,  and  who  spoke 
Spanish  fluently.  They  informed  us  that 
they  were  called  by  the  Spaniards  mansitos 
(tame),  in  distinction  from  the  wilder  tribes 
of  the  mountains.  They,  however,  think 
themselves  very  insecure,  not  knowing  at 
what  unforeseen  moment  the  sins  of  the  lat- 
ter may  be  visited  on  them.    They  are  dark- 


I  [I 

\\ 


Ii6 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1144 


■kinned,  but  liandooiae  and  intelligent  In- 
dians,  and  live  principally  on  acorna  and  the 
roots  of  the  tiile,  of  which  also  their  hutn 
are  made. 

By  obeervatinn,  the  latitude  of  the  en- 
campment is  36°  24'  60",  and  longitude 
119«41  40". 

April  9. — For  several  miles  we  had  very 
bad  travelling  over  whac  is  called  rotten 
ground,  in  which  the  horses  were  frequently 
up  to  their  knees.  Making  towards  a  line 
of  timber,  we  found  a  small  fordable  stream, 
beyond  which  the  country  improved,  and  the 
grass  became  excellent;  and,  crossing  a 
number  of  dry  and  timbered  arroyos,  we 
travelled  until  late  through  open  oak  groves, 
and  encamped  among  a  collection  of  streams. 
These  were  running  among  rushes  and  wil- 
lows; and,  as  usual,  flocks  of  blackbirds 
announced  our  approach  to  water.  We 
have  here  approached  considerably  nearer  to 
the  eastern  Sierra,  which  shows  very  plain- 
ly, still  covered  with  masses  of  snow,  which 
yesterday  and  to-day  has  also  appeared 
abundant  on  the  Coast  Range. 

April  10. — To-day  we  made  another  long 
journey  of  alx)ut  forty  miles,  through  a 
country  uninteresting  and  flat,  with  very 
little  grass  and  a  sandy  soil,  in  which  several 
branches  we  crossed  had  lost  their  water. 
In  the  evening  the  face  of  the  country  be- 
came hilly ;  and,  turning  a  few  miles  up 
towards  the  mountains,  we  found  a  good  en- 
campment on  a  pretty  stream  hidden  among 
the  hills,  and  handsomely  timbered,  princi- 
pally with  large  cottonwoods  (populus,  differ- 
mg  from  any  in  Michaux's  Sylva).  The 
seed  vessels  of  this  tree  were  now  just  about 
bursting. 

Several  Indians  came  down  the  river  to 
see  us  in  the  evening ;  we  gave  them  supper, 
and  cautioned  them  against  stealing  our 
horses ;  which  they  promised  not  to  attempt. 

April  11. — A  broad  trail  along  the  river 
here  takes  out  among  the  hills.  "Buen 
camino"  (good  road),  said  one  of  the  In- 
dians, of  whom  we  had  inquired  about  the 
pass  ;  and,  following  it  accordingly,  it  con- 
vlucted  us  beautifully  through  a  very  broken 
country,  by  an  excellent  way,  which,  other- 
wise, we  should  have  found  extremely  bad. 
Taken  separately,  the  hills  present  smooth 
and  graceful  outlines,  but,  together,  make 
bad  travelling  ground.  Instead  of  grass,  the 
whfile  face  of  the  country  is  closely  covered 
with  erndium  cicutarium,  here  only  two  or 
three  inches  high.  Its  height  and  beauty 
varied  in  a  remarkable  manner  with  the  lo- 
cality, being,  in  many  low  places  which  wc 
passed  during  the  day,  around  streams  and 
springs,  two  and  three  feet  in  height.  The 
country  had  now  assumed  a  character  of 
aridity ;  and  the  luxuriant  green  of  these 
little  streams,  wooded  with  willow,  oak,  or 


sycamore,  looked  very  refreshing  among  the 
sandy  hills. 

In  the  evening  we  encamped  on  a  Urge 
creek,  with  abundant  water.  I  noticed  heie 
in  bloom,  for  the  flrst  time  since  leaving  the 
Arkatisa»  waters,  the  Mirabilis  Jalana. 

April  12. — Along  our  road  to-day  the 
country  was  altogether  sandy,  and  vegetation 
meager.  Ephedra  occi'lentalis,  which  we 
had  first  seen  in  the  neighborhood  uf  the 
Pyramid  lake,  made  its  appearance  here,  and 
in  the  course  of  the  day  became  very  abun- 
dant, and  in  large  bushes.  Towards  the 
close  of  the  afternoon,  we  reached  a  tolera- 
bly large  river,  which  empties  into  a  small 
lake  at  the  head  of  the  valley  ;  it  is  about 
thirty-five  yards  \/ide,  with  a  stony  and 
gravelly  bed,  and  the  swiftest  stream  we 
nave  crossed  since  leaving  the  bay.  The 
bottoms  produced  no  grass,  though  well 
timbered  with  willow  and  cottonwood ;  and, 
after  ascending  it  for  several  miles,  we  made 
a  late  encampment  on  a  little  bottom,  with 
scanty  grass.  In  greater  part,  the  vegeta- 
tion along  our  road  consisted  now  of  rare 
and  unusual  plants,  among  which  many 
were  entirely  new. 

Along  the  bottoms  were  thickets  consist- 
ing of  several  varieties  of  shrubs,  which 
made  here  their  first  appearance ;  and  among 
these  was  Garrya  elliptica  (Lindley),  asmall 
tree  belonging  to  a  very  peculiar  natural 
order,  and,  in  its  general  appearance  (grow- 
ing in  thickets),  resembling  willow,  unow 
became  common  along  the  streams,  fre- 
quently supplying  the  place  of  salix  longi- 
folia. 

April  13. — The  water  was  low,  and  a  few 
miles  above  we  forded  the  river  at  a  rapid, 
and  marched  in  a  southeasterly  direction 
over  a  less  broken  country.  The  mountain 
were  now  very  near,  occasionally  looming 
out  through  fog.  In  a  few  hours  we  reached 
the  bottom  of  a  creek  without  water,  over 
which  the  sandy  beds  were  dispersed  in 
many  branches.  Immediately  where  we 
struck  it,  the  timber  terminated  ;  and  below, 
to  the  right,  it  was  a  broad  bed  of  dry  and 
bare  sands.  There  were  many  tracks  of 
Indians  and  horses  imprinted  in  the  sand, 
which,  with  other  indications,  informed  us 
was  the  creek  issuing  from  tie  pass,  and 
which  we  have  called  Pass  creek.  We  as- 
cended a  trail  for  a  few  miles  along  the 
creek,  and  suddenly  found  a  stream  of  water 
five  feet  wide,  running  with  a  lively  current, 
but  losing  itself  almost  immediately.  This 
little  stream  showed  plainly  the  manner  in 
which  the  mountain  waters  lose  themselves 
in  sand  at  the  eastern  foot  of  the  Sierra, 
leaving  only  a  parched  desert  and  arid  plains 
beyond.  The  stream  enlarged  rapidly,  and 
the  timber  became  abundant  as  we  ascended. 
A  new  species  of  pine  made  its  appearance; 


[1U4 

renhing  among  ths 

imped  on  a  large 
)r.  I  noticed  here 
]  Hi  nee  leaving  the 
'abilis  Jalana. 

road  to-aay  the 
idy,  and  vegetation 
mtalis,  which  we 
ighborhood  of  the 
pearance  here,  and 
became  very  abun- 
les.  Towards  the 
e  reached  a  tolerv  I 
ipties  into  a  small 
valley  ;  it  is  about 
iv'ith  a  Htony  and 
wifteet  stream  we 
ng  tlie  bay.  The 
rasa,  though  well 

cottonwool ;  and, 
;ral  miles,  we  made 
little  bottom,  with 
!r  part,  the  vegeta- 
isisted  now  of  rare 
long  which  many 

re  thickets  consist- 
of  shrubs,  which 
larance ;  and  among 
a  (Lindley),asmall 
y  peculiar  natural 
appearance  (grow- 
ing willow,  u  now 
;  tiie  streams,  fre- 
lace  of  salix  longi- 

was  low,  and  a  few 
he  river  at  a  rapid, 
theasterly  direction 
•y.  The  mountains 
ccasionally  looming 
w  hours  we  reachea 
ivithout  water,  ovei 

were  dispersed  in 
diately  where  we 
ninated ;  and  below, 
oad  bed  of  dry  and 
sre  many  tracks  of 
Tinted  in  the  sand, 
ations,  informed  us 
from  t'lc  pass,  and 
ass  creek.  We  as- 
!W  miles  along  the 
id  a  stream  of  water 
,'ith  a  lively  current, 
immediately.  This 
linly  the  manner  in 
;er8  lose  themselves 

foot  of  the  Sierra, 
e.sert  and  arid  plains 
ilarged  rapidly,  and 
lant  as  we  ascended, 
nade  its  appearance; 


IS44.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'B  NARRA  IIVK. 


with  aeveral  kindu  of  oaks,  and  a  variety  of 
trees;  and  the  country  changing  its  appear- 
ance suddenly  and  entirely,  wo  found  our- 
selves again  travelling  among  the  old  or- 
rhard-like  places.  Here  we  selected  a  de- 
lightful encampment  in  a  handsome  green 
oak  hollow,  where,  among  the  open  Iwlls  of 
the  trees,  was  an  abundant  sward  of  grass 
uid  pea  vines.  In  the  eveniag  a  Christian 
Indian  rode  into  the  camp,  well  dressed,  with 
long  spurs,  and  a  sombrero,  and  speaking 
Spanisn  fluently.  It  was  an  unexpected  ap- 
parition, and  a  strange  and  pleasant  sight  m 
this  desolate  gorge  of  a  mountain — an  Indian 
face,  Spanish  costume,  jingling  spurs,  and 
horse  equipped  after  the  Spanish  manner. 
He  informea  me  that  he  belonged  to  one  of 
the  Spanish  missions  to  the  south,  distant 
two  or  three  days'  ride,  and  that  he  had 
obtained  from  the  priests  leave  to  spend  a 
few  days  with  his  relations  in  the  Sierra. 
Having  seen  us  enter  the  pass,  he  had  come 
down  to  visit  us.  He  appeared  familiarly 
acquainted  with  the  country,  and  gave  me 
definite  and  clear  information  in  regard  to 
the  desert  region  east  of  the  mountains.  I 
had  entered  the  pass  with  a  strong  disposi- 
tion to  vary  my  route,  and  to  travel  directly 
across  towards  the  Great  Salt  lake,  in  the 
view  of  obtaining  some  acquaintance  with 
the  interior  of  the  Great  Basin,  while  pur- 
suing a  direct  course  for  the  frontier ;  but 
his  representation,  which  described  it  as  an 
arid  and  barren  desert,  that  had  repulsed  by 
its  sterility  all  the  attempts  of  the  Indians 
to  penetrate  it,  determined  me  for  the  present 
to  relinquish  the  plan ;  and,  agreeably  to  his 
advice,  after  cro.ssing  the  Sierra,  continue 
our  intended  route  along  its  eastern  base  to 
the  Spanish  trail.  By  this  route,  a  party  of 
six  Indians,  who  had  come  from  a  great 
river  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  desert  to 
trade  with  his  people,  had  just  started  on 
their  return.  He  would  himself  return  the 
next  day  to  San  Fernando;  and  as  our  roads 
would  be  the  same  for  two  days,  he  offered 
his  services  to  conduct  us  so  far  on  our  way. 
His  ofler  was  gladly  accepted.  The  fog, 
which  had  somewhat  interfered  with  views 
in  the  v;illey,  had  entirely  passed  offf  and 
left  a  clear  sky.  That  which  had  enveloped 
us  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  pass  pro- 
ceeded evidently  from  fires  kindled  among 
the  tularcs  by  Indians  livi.ng  near  the  lakes, 
and  which  were  intended  to  warn  those  in 
the  mountains  that  there  were  strangers  in 
the  valley.  Our  position  was  in  latitude  35° 
17'  12",  and  longitude  118°  35'  03". 

April  14. — Our  guide  joined  us  this  morn- 
ing on  the  trail;  and,  arriving  in  a  short 
distance  at  an  open  bottom  where  the  creek 
forked,  we  continued  up  the  right-hand 
branch,  which  was  enriched  by  a  profusion 
i»f  flowers,  and  handsomely  wooded  with 


sycamore,  oaks,  cottonwood,  and  willow, 
with  other  trees,  and  some  shrubby  plants. 
In  its  long  strings  of  balls,  this  sycamore 
differs  from  that  of  the  United  Slates,  and  !■ 
the  plalanus  nccidentalis  of  Hooker — a  new 
species,  recently  described  among  the  plants 
collected  in  the  voyage  of  the  Sulphur.  The 
cottonwood  varied  its  foliage  with  white 
tufts,  and  the  feathery  seeds  were  flying 
plentifully  through  the  air.  Gooseberries, 
nearly  ripe,  were  very  abundant  on  the  moun- 
tain ;  and  as  we  passed  the  dividing  grounds, 
which  were  not  very  easy  to  asceruin,  the 
air  was  filled  with  perfume,  as  if  we  were 
entering  a  highly  cultivated  garden ;  and, 
instead  of  green,  our  pathway  and  the  moun- 
tain sides  were  covered  with  fields  of  yellow 
flowers,  which  here  was  the  prevailing  color. 
Our  journey  to-day  was  in  the  midst  of  an 
advanced  spring,  whose  green  and  floral 
beauty  offered  a  delightful  contrast  to  the 
sandy  valley  we  had  just  left.  AIL  the  day 
snow  was  in  sight  on  the  butt  of  the  moun- 
tain, which  frowned  down  upon  us  on  the 
right ;  but  we  beheld  it  now  with  feelings  of 
pleasant  security,  as  we  rode  along  between 
green  trees,  and  on  flowers,  with  humming 
birds  and  other  feathered  friends  of  the  tra- 
veller enlivening  the  serene  spring  air.  As 
we  reached  the  summit  of  this  beautiful 
pass,  and  obtained  a  view  into  the  eastern 
country,  we  saw  at  once  that  here  was  the 
place  to  take  leave  of  all  such  pleasant 
scenes  as  those  around  us.  The  distant 
mountains  were  now  bald  rocks  again ;  and 
below,  the  land  had  any  color  but  green. 
Taking  into  consideration  the  nature  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  we  found  this  pass  an  excel- 
lent one  for  horses  ;  and  with  a  little  labor, 
or  perhaps  with  a  more  perfect  examination 
of  the  localities,  it  might  be  made  suflicient- 
ly  practicable  for  wagons.  Its  latitude  and 
longitude  may  be  considered  that  of  our 
last  encampment,  only  a  few  miles  distant. 
The  elevation  was  not  taken — our  half-wild 
cavalcade  making  it  too  troublesome  to  halt 
before  night,  when  otice  started. 

We  here  left  the  waters  of  the  bay  of  San 
Francisco,  ami,  though  forced  upon  them 
contrary  to  my  intentions,  I  cannot  regret 
the  necessity  which  occasioned  the  deviation. 
It  made  me  well  acquainted  with  the  great 
range  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  of  the  Alia  Cali- 
fornia, and  showed  that  this  broad  and  ele- 
vated snowy  ridge  was  a  continuation  of  the 
Cascade  Range  of  Oregon,  Ictween  which 
and  the  ocean  there  is  still  another  and  a 
lower  range,  parallel  to  the  former  and  to 
the  coast,  and  which  may  bo  called  the  Coast 
Range.  It  also  made  me  well  acquainted 
with  the  basin  of  the  San  Francisco  bay, 
and  with  the  two  pretty  rivers  and  their 
valleys  (the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin), 
which  are  tributary  to  that  bay ;  and  cleared 


lie 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


(ItU 


■p  Mm*  points  in  geographv  on  which  error 
had  long  prevailea.  u  naa  been  constantly 
represented,  as  I  have  already  stated,  that 
the  bay  of  San  Francisco  opened  far  into  the 
interior,  by  some  river  coming  down  from 
the  base  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  upon 
which  Hupposed  Htream  the  name  of  Rio 
Buenaventura  had  been  bestowed.  Our  ob- 
lervations  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  in  the  long 
distance  from  the  head  of  the  Sacramento  to 
the  head  of  the  San  Joaquin,  and  of  the  val- 
ley below  it,  which  collects  all  the  waters  of 
the  San  Francinco  bay,  show  that  this  nei- 
ther is  nor  can  be  the  case.  No  river  from 
the  interior  does,  or  can,  cross  the  Sierra 
Nevada — itself  more  lofty  than  the  rocky 
mountains ;  and  as  to  the  Buenaventura,  the 
mouth  of  which  seen  on  the  coaHt  ^avo  the 
idea  and  the  name  of  the  reputed  great  river, 
it  is,  in  fact,  a  Rmall  stream  of  no  conse- 
quence, not  only  below  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
but  actually  below  the  Coast  Range — taking 
its  rise  within  half  a  degree  of  the  ocean, 
running  parallel  to  it  for  about  two  degrees, 
and  then  falling  into  the  Pacific  near  Mon- 
terey. There  is  no  opening  from  the  bay  of 
San  Francisco  into  the  interior  of  the  conti- 
nent. The  two  rivers  which  flow  into  it  are 
comparatively  phort,  and  not  perpendicular 
to  the  coast,  but  lateral  to  it,  and  having 
their  heads  towards  Oregon  and  soutiiern  Cal- 
ifornia. They  open  lines  of  communication 
north  and  south  and  not  castwardly ;  and 
thus  this  want  of  interior  communication 
from  the  San  Francisco  bay,  now  fully  as- 
rertained,  gives  great  additional  value  to  the 
(Jolumbia,  which  stands  alone  as  the  only 
great  river  on  the  Pacific  slope  of  our  conti- 
nent which  leads  from  the  ocean  to  the 
Rocky  mountains,  and  opens  a  line  of  com- 
munication from  the  sea  to  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi. 

Four  compaHeros  joined  our  guide  at  the 
pass ;  and  two  going  back  at  noon,  the  others 
continued  on  in  company.  Descending  from 
the  hillS)  we  reached  a  country  of  fine  grass, 
where  the  erodium  cicutarium  finally  disap- 
peared, giving  place  to  an  excellent  quality 
of  bunch  grass.  Passing  by  some  springs 
where  there  was  a  rich  sward  of  grass 
among  groves  of  large  black  oak,  we  rode 
over  a  plain  on  which  the  guide  pointed  out 
a  spot  where  a  refugee  Christian  Indian  had 
been  killed  by  a  party  of  soldiers  which  had 
unexpectedly  penetrated  into  the  mountains. 
Crossing  a  low  sierra,  and  descending  a  hol- 
.ow  where  a  spring  gushed  out,  we  were 
struck  by  tlie  sudden  appearance  of  yucca 
trees,  which  gave  a  strange  and  southern 
character  to  the  country,  and  suited  well 
with  the  dry  and  desert  region  we  were  ap- 
proaching. Associated  with  the  idea  of  bar- 
ren sands,  their  stiff  and  ungraceful  form 
■akea  them  to  the  traveller  the  most  repul- 


sive tree  in  the  vegetable  kingdom.  Follow- 
irig  the  hollow,  we  shortly  came  upon  a  creek 
timbered  with  large  black  oak,  which  yet 
had  not  put  forth  a  leaf.  There  was  a  small 
rivulet  of  running  water,  with  good  grass. 
April  15. — The  Indians  who  had  accom- 

ranied  the  guide  returned  this  morning,  and 
purchased  from  them  a  Spanish  saddle  and 
long  spurs,  as  reminiscences  of  the  time; 
ana  for  a  few  yards  of  scarlet  cloth  they 
^ve  me  a  horse,  which  afterwards  became 
food  for  other  Indians. 

We  continued  a  short  distance  down  the 
creek,  in  which  our  guide  informed  ui 
that  the  water  very  soon  disappeared,  and 
turned  directly  to  the  southward  along  the 
foot  of  the  mountain ;  the  trail  on  which  we 
rode  appearing  to  describe  the  eastern  limit 
of  travel,  where  water  and  grass  terminated. 
Crossing  a  low  spur,  which  bordered  the 
creek,  we  descended  to  a  kind  of  plain 
among  the  lower  spurs  ;  the  desert  being  in 
full  view  on  our  left,  apparently  illimitable. 
A  hot  mist  lay  over  it  to-day,  through  which 
it  had  a  white  and  glistening  appearance; 
here  and  there  a  few  dry-lookmg  buttes  and 
isolated  black  ridges  rose  suddenly  upon  it. 
"  There,"  said  our  guide,  stretching  out  his 
hand  towards  it,  "  there  are  the  great  llanos 
(plains),  nn  haij  agiia  ;  no  hayzacali — nada: 
there  is  neither  water  nor  grass — nothing ; 
every  animal  that  goes  out  upon  them,  dies." 
It  was  indeed  dismal  to  look  upon,  and  hardtc 
conceive  so  great  a  change  in  so  short  n  dis- 
tance. One  might  travel  the  world  over, 
without  finding  a  valley  more  fresh  and  ver- 
dant— more  floral  and  sylvan — more  alive 
with  birds  and  animals — more  bounteously 
watered — than  we  had  left  in  the  San  Joa- 
quin :  here,  within  a  few  miles'  ride,  a  vast 
desert  plain  spread  before  us,  from  which  the 
boldest  traveller  turned  away  in  despair. 

Directly  in  front  of  us,  at  some  distance  to 
the  southward,  and  running  out  in  an  ea8^ 
erly  direction  from  the  mountains,  stretched 
a  sierra,  having  at  the  eastern  end  (perhaps 
60  miles  distant)  some  snowy  peaks,  on 
which,  by  the  information  of  our  guide,  snow 
rested  all  the  year. 

Our  cavalcade  made  a  strange  and  gr* 
tesque  appearance ;  and  it  was  impossible  tc 
avoid  reflecting  upon  our  position  and  com- 
position in  this  remote  solitude.  Within 
two  degrees  of  the  Pacific  ocean ;  already 
far  south  of  the  latitude  of  Monterey ;  and 
still  forced  on  south  by  a  desert  on  one  hand 
and  a  mountain  range  on  the  other ;  guided 
by  a  civilized  Indian,  attended  by  two  wild 
ones  from  the  Sierra;  a  Chinook  from  the 
Columbia;  and  our  own  mixture  of  Ameri- 
can, French,  German — all  armed ;  four  or 
five  languages  heard  at  once  ;  above  a  hun« 
dred  horses  and  mules,  half  wild ;  American, 
Spanish,  and  Indian  dresses  and  equipmenUi 


[IHl        1844.1 


[ingdom.  Follow- 
came  upon  a  ciMk 
Ic  oak,  which  yet 
There  was  a  small 
with  good  grass, 
who  had  accon». 
this  morninsr,  and 
■Spanish  saddle  and 
noes  of  the  time; 
Hcarlot  cloth  they 
afterwards  became 

distance  down  the 

uide    informed  us 
disappeared,  and 

uthward  alone  the 

trail  on  which  we 

the  eastern  limit 

grass  terminated. 

'hich  bordered  the 

a  kind  of   plain 

the  desert  being  in 

arcntiy  illimitable, 
day,  through  which 
ening  appearance; 
■looking  buUes  and 

suddenly  upon  it. 

stretching  out  his 
ire  the  groat  llanos 
)  hay  zaculi — nada : 
)r  grass — nothing  ; 
lit  upon  them,  dies." 
skupon,  and  hard  to 
ge  in  so  short  a  dia- 
el  the  world  over, 
more  fresh  and  ver- 
sylvan — more  alive 
—more  bounteoiisly 
ift  in  the  San  Joa- 

miles'  ride,  a  vast 
!  us,  from  which  the 
way  in  despair. 
,  at  some  distance  to 
ing  out  in  an  east- 
lountains,  stretched 
astern  end  (perhaps 
>  snowy  peaks,  on 
1  of  our  guide,  snow 

a,  strange  and  gro> 
it  was  impossible  tc 
ir  position  and  corn- 
solitude.  Within 
ific  ocean ;  already 
1  of  Monterey ;  and 
desert  on  one  hand 
a  the  other ;  guided 
tended  by  two  wild 
,  Chinook  from  the 
mixture  of  Ameri- 
•all  armed ;  four  or 
)nce  ;  above  a  hun* 
alf  wild ;  American, 
ses  and  equipment! 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


tm 


iitermingled — such  was  our  compoHition. 
Our  march  wan  a  sort  of  procession.  Scouts 
ahead,  and  on  the  flankti ;  a  front  and  rear 
division ;  the  puck  aniiniiis,  baggage,  and 
horned  cattle,  in  the  centre  ;  and  the  whole 
4tretching  a  quarter  of  a  mile  along  our 
dreary  path.  In  this  form  wo  journeyed ; 
looking  more  as  if  we  belonged  to  Asia  than 
to  the  United  States  of  America. 

We  continued  in  a  southerly  direction 
across  the  plain,  to  wliiuli,  as  well  as  to  all 
the  country,  so  far  as  we  could  see,  the  yuc' 
ea  trees  gave  a  strange  and  singular  cha- 
racter. Several  new  plants  appeared,  among 
which  was  a  zygophyllaccous  shriil)  (zygn- 
fhyllum  Californicum,  Torr.  and  Frein.), 
sometimes  ten  feet  in  height ;  in  form,  and 
in  the  pliancy  of  its  brancnes,  it  is  rather  a 
jfraceful  plant.  Its  leaves  are  small,  cover- 
ed with  a  resinous  substance  ;  and,  particu- 
larly when  bruised  and  crushed,  exhale  a 
lingular  but  very  agreeable  and  refreshing 
odor.  This  shrub  and  the  yucca,  with  many 
varieties  of  cactus,  make  the  characteristic 
features  in  the  vegetation  for  a  long  distance 
to  the  eastward.  Along  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  twenty  miles  to  the  southward, 
red  stripes  of  flowers  were  visible  during  the 
morning,  which  we  supposed  to  be  varie- 
gated sandstones.  We  rode  rapidly  during 
the  day,  and  in  the  afternoon  emerged  from 
the  yucca  forest  at  the  foot  of  an  outlier  of 
tlie  Sierra  before  us,  and  came  among  the 
fields  of  flowers  we  had  seen  in  the  morn- 
ing, which  consisted  principally  of  the  rich 
orange-colored  Californian  poppy,  mingled 
with  other  flowers  of  brighter  tints.  Reach- 
ing the  top  of  the  spur,  which  was  covered 
with  tine  bunch  grass,  and  where  the  hills 
were  very  green,  our  guide  pointed  to  a 
small  hollow  in  the  mountain  before  us,  say- 
ing, "  A  este  piedra  hay  agua."  lie  appear- 
ed to  know  every  nook  in  the  country.  We 
continued  our  beautiful  road,  and  reached  a 
spring  in  the  slope,  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge, 
running  in  a  green  ravine,  among  granite 
boulders;  here  night-shade,  and  borders  of 
buckwheat,  with  their  wjiite  blossoms  around 
the  granite  rocks,  attracted  our  notice  as  fa- 
miliar plants.  Several  antelopes  were  seen 
among  the  hills,  and  some  large  hares.  Men 
were  sent  back  this  evening  in  search  of  a 
wild  mule  with  a  valuable  pack,  which  had 
managed  (as  they  freqi'iently  do)  to  hide 
itself  along  the  road. 

By  observation,  the  latitude  of  the  camp 
s  34"  41'  42";  and  longitude  118°  20'  00". 
The  next  day  the  men  returned  with  the 
mule. 

April  17. — Crossing  the  ridge  by  a  beau- 
tiful pass  of  hollows,  where  several  deer 
broke  out  of  the  thickets,  we  emerged  at  a 
small  salt  lake  in  a  vallon  lying  nearly  east 
and  west,  where  a  trail  from  the  mission  of 


San  Buenaventura  comes  in.  The  lake  it 
about  1,200  yards  in  diameter;  surrounded 
on  the  margin  hy  a  white  '>&lty  border, 
which,  by  the  Hinell,  ruiiiinded  us  slightly  of 
Lake  Abert.  Thert;  are  some  cotloiiwoods, 
with  willow  and  elder,  around  the  lake ;  and 
the  water  is  a  little  salt,  although  not  en- 
tirely unlit  for  drinking.  Hero  we  turned 
directly  to  the  eastward,  along  the  trail, 
which,  from  being  seldom  used,  is  almost 
imperceptible ;  and,  after  travelling  a  few 
miles,  our  guide  halted,  and,  pointing  to  the 
hardly  visible  trail,  "  a<jui  rs  camtito,"  said 
he,  "  no  se  pierde — va  siemj)i-e."  Ho  point- 
ed out  a  black  bulle  on  the  plain  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain,  where  wo  would  tind  water 
to  encamp  at  night ;  and,  giving  him  a  pre- 
sent of  knives  and  scarlet  cloth,  we  shook 
hands  and  parted.  He  bore  olT  south,  and  in 
a  day's  ride  would  arrive  at  San  Fernando, 
one  of  several  missions  in  this  part  of  Cali- 
fornia, where  the  country  is  so  beautiful  that 
it  is  considered  a  paradise,  and  the  name  of 
its  principal  town  (Pv  hla  tie  tos  Angelesj, 
would  make  it  angelic.  We  continued  on 
tlirough  a  succession  of  valleys,  and  came 
into  a  most  beautiful  spot  of  flower  ^elds : 
instead  of  green,  the  hill  ^  were  purple  and 
orange,  with  unbroken  ueds,  into  which 
each  color  was  Heparately  gathered.  A  pale 
straw  color,  with  a  bright  yellow  the  ri  ,i 
red  orange  of  the  poppy  mingled  with  flekv^ 
of  purple,  covered  the  spot  wit:  t  floral 
beauty ;  and,  on  the  border  of  th  >  sai  dy  de- 
serts, seemed  to  invite  the  travehjr  to  ^o  no 
farther.  Riding  along  through  the  pertumed 
air,  we  soon  after  entered  a  defile  over- 
grown with  the  ominous  artemistn  iriden' 
lata,  which  conducted  us  into  a  sandy  plain 
covered  more  or  less  densely  with  forests  of 
yucca. 

Having  now  the  snowy  ridge  on  our  right, 
we  continued  our  way  towards  a  dark  tyuUCt 
belonging  to  a  low  sierra  in  the  {il<iiii,  and 
which  our  guide  had  pointed  out  lor  a  land- 
mark. Late  in  the  day,  the  familiar  growth 
of  Cottonwood,  a  line  of  which  was  visible 
ahead,  indicated  nr  approach  to  a  creek, 
which  we  reach"'  v  icre  the  water  spread 
out  into  sands,  aiiU  .t  little  below  sank  en- 
tirely. Here  our  guide  had  intended  we 
should  pass  the  night ;  but  there  was  not  a 
blade  of  gra,;,  and^  hoping  to  find  nearer  the 
mountain  r,  little  for  the  night,  we  turned  up 
the  Stream.  A  hundred  yards  above,  we 
found  the  cveek  a  fine  stream,  sixteen  feel 
wide,  with  a  swift  current.  A  dark  night 
overtook  us  when  we  readied  the  hills  at 
the  foot  of  the  ridge,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  encamp  without  grass ;  tying  up  what 
animals  we  could  secure  in  the  darkness, 
the  greater  part  of  the  wild  ones  having  free 
range  for  the  night.  Here  the  stream  was 
two  feet  deep,  swift  and  clear,  issuing  from 


HO 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE 


[IMl 


ft  neighboring  snow  peak.  A  few  miles  be- 
fore raacliing  this  creeli,  we  had  crossed  a 
Inroad  dry  river  bed,  which,  nearer  the  hills, 
the  hunters  had  found  a  bold  and  handsome 
stream. 

Ajpn7  18. — Some  parties  were  engaged  in 
hunting  up  the  scattered  horses,  and  others 
in  searchmg  for  grass  above;  both  were 
successful,  and  late  in  the  day  we  encamped 
among  some  spring  heads  of  the  river,  in  a 
hollow  which  was  covered  with  only  tolera- 
bly good  grasses,  the  lower  ground  being  en- 
tirely overgrown  with  large  bunches  of  the 
coarse  stiff  grass  (carex  sUchensis). 

Our  latitude,  by  observation,  was  34°  27' 
03";  and  longitude  117°  13'  00". 

Travelling  close  along  the  mountain,  we 
followed  up,  in  tho  afternoon  of  the  19th, 
another  stream,  in  hopes  to  find  a  grass- 
patch  like  that  of  the  previous  day,  but  were 
deceived ;  except  some  scattered  bunch 
grass,  there  was  nothing  but  rock  and  sand ; 
and  even  the  fertility  of  the  mountain  seem- 
ed withered  by  the  air  of  the  desert.  Among 
the  few  trees  was  the  nut  pine  (pijms  mono- 
phyllus). 

Our  road  the  next  day  was  still  in  an 
easterly  direction  along  the  ridge,  over  very 
bad  travelling  ground,  broken  and  confound- 
ed with  crippled  trees  and  shrubs  ;  and, 
after  a  difficult  march  of  eighteen  miles,  a 
general  shout  announced  that  we  had  struck 
the  great  object  of  our  seach — th:;:  Spanish 
TRAIL — which  here  was  running  directly 
north.  The  road  itself,  and  its  course,  were 
equally  happy  discoveries  to  us.  Since  the 
middle  of  December  we  had  continually  been 
forced  south  by  mountains  and  by  deserts, 
and  now  would  have  to  make  six  degrees 
of  northing,  to  regain  the  latitude  on  which 
we  wished  to  cross  the  Rocky  mountains. 
The  course  of  ihe  road,  therefore,  was  what 
we  wanted ;  and,  once  more,  we  felt  like 
going  homewards.  A  road  to  travel  on,  and 
the  right  course  to  go,  were  joyful  consola- 
tions to  us ;  and  our  animals  enjoyed  the 
oeaten  track  like  ourselves.  Relieved  from 
ths  rocks  and  brush,  our  wild  mules  started 
off  at  a  rapid  rate,  and  in  fifteen  miles  we 
reached  a  considerable  river,  timbered  with 
Cottonwood  and  willow,  where  we  found  a 
bottom  of  tolerable  grass.  As  the  animals 
had  suffered  a  great  deal  in  the  last  few  days, 
I  remained  here  all  next  day,  to  allow  them 
the  neces'  ary  repose ;  and  it  was  now  ne- 
cessary, i.  •  every  favorable  place,  to  make  a 
little  halt.  Between  us  and  the  Colorado 
river  we  were  aware  that  the  country  was  ex- 
tremely poor  in  grass,  and  scarce  for  water, 
there  being  many  jornadas  (day's  journey), 
or  long  stretches  of  forty  to  sixty  miles,  vvitli- 
out  water,  where  the  road  was  marked  by 
bones  of  animals. 

Although  in  California  we  had  met  with 


people  who  had  passed  over  this  trail,  we  ha4 
been  able  to  obtain  no  correct  informatioa 
about  it ;  and  the  greater  part  of  what  we 
had  heard  was  found  to  be  only  a  tissue  of 
falsehoods.  The  rivers  that  we  found  on  it 
were  never  mentioned,  and  others,  particular- 
ly  described  in  name  and  locality,  were  sub- 
sequently seen  in  another  par'  f  the  couih 
try.  It  was  described  as  a  tolerably  good 
sandy  road,  with  so  little  rock  as  scarcely  to 
require  the  animals  to  be  shod ;  and  we  found 
it  the  roughest  and  rockiest  road  we  had  ever 
seen  in  the  country,  and  which  nearly  de- 
stroyed our  band  of  fine  mules  and  horses. 
Many  animals  are  destroyed  on  it  every  year 
by  a  disease  called  the  foot  evil ;  and  a  tra- 
veller should  never  venture  on  it  without 
having  his  animals  well  shod,  and  also  carry- 
ing extra  shoes. 

Latitude  34°  34'  1 1 ";  and  longitude  117« 
13'  00". 

The  morning  of  the  22d  was  clear  and 
bright,  and  a  snowy  peak  to  the  southward 
shone  out  high  and  sharply  defined.  As  has 
been  usual  since  we  crossed  the  mountains 
and  descended  into  the  hot  plains,  we  had  a 
gale  of  wind.  We  travelled  down  the  right 
bank  of  the  stream,  over  sands  which  are 
somewhat  loose,  and  have  no  verdure,  but 
are  occupied  by  various  shrubs.  A  cleai 
bold  stream,  60  feet  wide,  and  several  feet 
deep,  had  a  strange  appearance,  running  be- 
tween perfectly  naked  banks  of  nand.  The 
eye,  however,  is  somewhat  relieved  by  wil- 
lows, and  the  beautiful  green  of  ;'ie  sweet 
cottonwoods  with  which  it  is  well  wooded. 
As  we  followed  along  its  course,  the  river, 
instead  of  growing  constantly  larger,  gradu- 
ally dwindled  away,  as  it  was  absorbed  by 
the  sand.  We  were  now  careful  to  take  the 
old  camping  places  of  the  annual  Santa  P6 
caravans,  which,  luckily  for  us,  had  not  yet 
made  their  yearly  passage.  A  drove  of  se- 
veral thousand  horses  and  mules  would  en- 
tirely have  swept  away  the  scanty  grass  at 
the  watering  places,  and  we  should  have 
been  obliged  to  leave  the  road  to  obtain  sub- 
sistence for  our  animals.  After  riding  20 
miles  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  we  found 
an  old  encampment,  where  we  halted. 

By  observation,  the  elevation  of  this  en- 
campment is  2,250  feet. 

April  23. — The  trail  followed  still  along 
the  river,  which,  in  the  course  of  the  morn- 
ing, entirely  disappeared.  We  continued 
along  the  dry  bed,  in  which,  after  an  interval 
of  about  16  miles,  the  water  reappeared  in 
some  low  places,  well  timbered  with  cotton- 
wood  and  willow,  where  was  another  of  the 
customary  camping  grounds.  Here  a  party 
of  six  Indians  came  into  camp,  poor  and  hun- 
gry, and  quite  in  keeping  with  the  character 
of  the  country.  Their  arms  were  bows  of 
unusual  length,  and  each  had  a  large  gourd^ 


this  trail,  we  lu4 
rect  infonnatioa 
part  of  what  w« 
only  a  tissue  of 
it  we  found  on  it 
)thers,  particular- 
Ksality,  were  sub- 
par'    f  the  coun- 
a  tolerably  eood 
)ck  as  scarcely  to 
od ;  and  we  found 
road  we  had  ever 
ivhich  nearly  de- 
mies and  horses, 
d  on  it  every  year 
t  evil ;  and  a  tra- 
re  on  it  without 
[xi,  and  also  carry- 

nd  longitude  117* 

id  was  clear  and 

to  the  southward 

r  defined.     As  has 

ed  the  mountains 

t  plains,  we  had  a 

ed  down  the  right 

sands  which  are 

e  no  verdure,  but 

shrubs.     A  deai 

,  and  several  feet 

ranee,  running  be- 

tiks  of  nand.     The 

it  relieved  by  wil- 

;reen  of  the  sweet 

it  is  well  wooded. 

course,  the  river, 

intly  larger,  gradu- 

,  was  absorbed  by 

careful  to  take  the 

i  annual  Santa  F^ 

'or  us,  had  not  yet 

B.     A  drove  of  se- 

1  mules  would  en- 

lie  scanty  grass  at 

i  we  should  have 

road  to  obtain  sub- 

.     After  riding  20 

lirection,  we  found 

e  we  halted. 

ovation  of  this  en- 

sUuwed  still  along 
jurse  of  the  moni- 
We  continued 
;h,  after  an  interval 
ater  reappeared  in 
ubered  with  cotton- 
was  another  of  the 
ids.  Here  a  party 
amp,  poor  and  hun- 
with  the  character 
rms  were  bows  of 
had  a  large  gounV 


18M.I 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARHATIVE. 


Ml 


itMngtheiied  with  meshes  of  cord,  in  which 
ke  earried  water.  They  proved  to  be  the 
llehihTe  Indians  mentioned  by  our  recent 
mide ;  and  from  one  of  them  who  spoke 
Spanish  fluently,  I  obtained  some  interesting 
information,  which  I  would  be  glad  to  intro- 
duce here.  An  account  of  the  people  inha- 
biting this  region  would  undoubtedly  possess 
interest  for  the  civilized  world.  Our  journey 
homeward  was  fruitful  in  incident ;  and  the 
country  throuch  which  we  travelled,  although 
a  desert,  afforaed  much  to  excite  the  curiosi- 
ty of  the  botanist ;  but  limited  time,  and  the 
rapidly  advancing  season  for  active  opera- 
tions, obliee  me  to  omit  all  extended  descrip- 
tions, ancT  hurry  briefly  to  the  conclusion  of 
this  report. 

The  Indian  who  spoke  Spanish  had  been 
educated  for  a  number  of  year-  at  one  of  the 
Spanish  missions,  and,  at  the  breaking  up  of 
those  establishments,  had  returned  to  the 
mountains,  where  he  had  been  found  by  a 
party  of  Mohahve  (sometimes  called  Armi- 
Hudfo)  Indians,  among  whom  he  had  ever 
Bince  resided. 

He  spoke  of  the  leader  of  the  present  par- 
tj  as  "  mi  arm  "  (my  master).  He  said  they 
hved  upon  a  large  river  in  the  southeast, 
which  the  "  soldiers  called  the  Rio  Colora- 
do ;"  but  that,  formerly,  a  portion  of  them 
lived  upon  this  river,  and  among  the  moun- 
tains which  had  bounded  the  river  valley  to 
the  northward  during  the  day,  and  that  here 
along  the  river  they  had  raised  various  kinds 
»f  melons.  They  sometimes  came  over  to 
trade  with  the  Indians  of  the  Sierra,  bringing 
with  them  blankets  and  goods  manufactured 
by  the  Monquis  and  other  Colorado  Indians. 
They  rarely  carried  home  horses,  on  account 
of  the  difficulty  of  getting  them  across  the 
desert,  and  of  guarding  them  afterwards 
froat  the  Pa-utan  Indians,  who  inhabit  the 
Sierra,  at  the  head  of  the  Rio  Virgett  (river 
of  the  Virgin.) 

He  informed  us  that,  a  short  distance  be- 
low, this  river  finally  disappeared.  The  two 
difibrent  portions  in  which  water  is  found  had 
received  from  the  priests  two  different  names ; 
and  subsequently  I  heard  it  called  by  the 
Spaniards  the  Rio  de  las  Animas,  but  on  the 
map  we  have  called  it  the  Mohahve  river. 

April  24. — We  continued  down  the  stream 
(or  rather  its  bed)  for  about  eight  miles, 
where  there  was  water  still  in  several  holes, 
and  encamped.  The  caravans  sometimes 
continue  below,  to  the  end  of  the  river,  from 
which  there  is  a  very  long  Jornada  of  per- 
haps sixty  miles,  without  water.  Here  a 
singular  and  new  species  of  acacia,  with  spi- 
itl  pods  or  seed  vessels,  made  its  first  appear- 
ance ;  becoming  henceforward,  for  a  consi- 
derable distance,  a  characteristic  tree.  It 
was  here  comparatively  large,  being  about 
SO  feet  in  height,  with  a  full  and  spreading 

11 


top,  the  lower  branches  declining  towwdi 
the  ground.  It  afterwards  oceurredofsiBsller 
size,  freouently  in  groves,  and  is  yen  &»• 
grant.  It  has  been  called  by  Dr.  Torrej 
spirolobium  odoratum.  The  zygophyllaceoos 
snmb  had  been  constantly  characteristic  of 
the  plains  along  the  river ;  and  here,  amonf 
many  new  plants,  a  new  and  very  remarka- 
ble species  of  eriogonum  (eriogonum  tfj/Zo- 
tum,  Torr.  &  Frem.)  made  its  first  appear- 
ance. 

Our  cattle  had  become  so  tired  and  poor 
by  this  fatiguing  travelling,  that  three  of 
them  were  killed  here,  and  the  meat  dried. 
The  Indians  had  now  an  occasion  for  a  great 
feast,  and  were  occupied  the  remainder  of 
the  day  and  all  the  night  in  cooking  and  eat> 
ing.  There  was  no  part  of  the  animal  for 
which  they  did  not  find  some  use,  except  th« 
bones.  In  tlie  afternoon  we  were  surprised 
by  the  sudden  appearance  in  the  camp  of  two 
Mexicans — a  man  and  a  boy.  The  name  of 
the  man  was  Andreas  Fuenies;  and  that  of 
the  boy  (a  handsome  lad,  11  years  old).  Par 
bio  Hernandez.  They  belonged  to  a  par^ 
consisting  of  six  persons,  the  remaining  four 
being  the  wife  of  Fuentes,  and  the  father 
anti  mother  of  Pablo,  and  Santiago  Giacome, 
a  resident  of  New  Mexico.  Vfith  a  caval- 
cade of  about  thirty  horses,  they  had  come 
out  from  Puebla  de  los  Angeles,  near  the 
coast,  under  the  guidance  of  Giacome,  in 
advance  of  the  great  caravan,  in  order  to 
travel  more  at  leisure,  and  obtain  better  grass. 
Having  advanced  as  far  into  the  desert  as 
was  considered  consistent  with  their  safety, 
they  halted  at  the  Archilelte,  one  of  the  cus- 
tomary camping  grounds,  about  80  miles 
ii-om  our  encampment,  where  there  is  a  spring 
of  good  water,  with  sufficient  grass ;  ana 
concluded  to  await  there  the  arrival  of  the 
great  Caravan.  Several  Indians  were  soon 
discovered  lurking  about  the  camp,  who,  in 
a  day  or  two  after,  came  in,  and,  after  behay- 
ing  in  a  very  friendly  manner,  took  their 
leave,  without  awakening  any  suspicions. 
Their  deportment  begat  a  security  which 
proved  fatal.  In  a  few  days  afterwards,  sud- 
denly a  party  of  about  one  hundred  Indians 
appeared  in  sight,  advancing  towards  the 
camp.  It  was  too  late,  or  they  seemed  not 
to  have  presence  of  mind  to  take  proper 
measures  of  safety ;  and  the  Indians  charged 
down  into  their  camp,  shouting  as  they  ad- 
vanced, and  discharging  flights  of  arrows. 
Pablo  and  Fuentes  were  on  horse  guard  at 
the  time,  and  mounted  according  to  the 
custom  of  the  country.  One  of  the  princi- 
pal objects  of  the  Indians  was  to  get  posses- 
sion of  the  horses,  and  part  of  them  imme- 
diately surrounded  the  band ;  but,  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  shouts  of  Giacome,  Fuentes  drove 
the  animals  over  and  through  the  assailant^ 
in  spite  of  their  arrows ;  and,  abandoniaig  tbt 


Its 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844 


rest  to  their  fate,  carried  them  off  at  speed 
aoross  the  plain.  Knowing  that  they  would 
be  pursued  by  the  Indians,  without  making 
any  halt  except  to  shift  their  saddles  to  other 
horses,  they  drove  them  on  for  about  eix/fy 
miles,  and  this  morning  left  them  at  a  water- 
ing place  on  the  trail,  called  Agua  de  To- 
maso.  Without  giving  themselves  any  time 
for  rest,  they  hurried  on,  hoping  to  meet  the 
Spanish  Caravan,  when  they  discovered  my 
camp.  I  received  them  kindly,  taking  them 
into  my  own  mess,  and  promised  them  such 
aid  as  circumstances  might  put  it  in  my 
power  to  give. 

A^  26. — We  left  the  river  abruptly,  and, 
tummg  to  the  north,  regained  in  a  few  miles 
the  main  trail  (which  hM  left  the  river  sooner 
than  ourselves),  and  continued  our  way 
across  a  lower  ridge  of  the  mountain,  through 
a  miserable  tract  of  sand  and  gravel.  We 
CTOBsed  at  intervals  the  broad  beds  of  dry 
gullies,  where  in  the  season  of  rains  and 
melting  snows  there  would  be  brooks  or  rivu- 
lets ;  and  at  one  of  these,  where  there  was 
no  indication  of  water,  were  several  freshly- 
dug  holes,  in  which  there  was  water  at  the 
depth  of  two  feet.  These  holes  had  been 
dug  by  the  wokes,  whose  keen  sense  of  smell 
had  scented  the  water  under  the  dry  Band. 
They  were  nice  little  wells,  narrow,  and  dug 
straight  down,  and  we  got  pleasant  water 
out  of  them. 

The  country  had  now  assumed  the  cha- 
racter of  an  elevated  and  mountainous  de- 
sert ;  its  general  features  being  black,  rocky 
ridges,  bald,  and  destitute  of  timber,  with 
sandy  basins  between.  Where  the  sides  of 
these  ridges  are  washed  by  gullies,  the  plains 
below  are  strewed  with  beds  of  large  pebbles 
or  rolled  stones,  destructive  to  our  soft-footed 
animals,  accustomed  to  the  grassy  plains 
of  the  Sacramento  valley.  Through  these 
sandy  basins  sometimes  struggled  a  scanty 
stream,  or  occurred  a  hole  of  water,  which 
furnished  camping  grounds  for  travellers. 
Frequently  in  our  journey  across,  snow  was 
visible  on  the  surrounding  mountains ;  but 
their  waters  rarely  reached  the  sandy  plain 
below,  where  we  toiled  along,  oppressed  with 
thirst  and  a  burning  sun.  But,  throughout 
this  nakedness  of  sand  ai"l  gravel,  were  many 
beautiful  plants  and  flowering  shrubs,  which 
occurred  in  many  new  species,  and  with 
greater  variety  than  we  had  been  accustom- 
ed to  see  in  the  most  luxuriant  prairie  coun- 
tries ;  this  was  a  peculiarity  of  this  desert. 
Even  where  no  grass  would  take  root,  the 
naked  sand  would  bloom  with  some  rich  and 
rare  flower,  which  found  its  appropriate  home 
in  the  arid  and  barren  spot. 

Scattered  over  the  plain,  and  tolerably 
abundant,  was  a  handsome  leguminous  shrub, 
three  or  four  feet  high,  with  fine  bright-pur- 
ple flowers.     It  is  a  new  psnralea,  and  oc- 


curred frequently  henceforward  along  ov 
road. 

Beyond  the  first  ridge,  our  road  bore  a  liU 
tie  to  the  east  ot  north,  towards  a  gap  in  a 
higher  line  of  mountains ;  and,  after  travel- 
ling about  twenty-five  miles,  we  arrived  at 
the  Agua  de  Tomaso — the  spring  where  the 
horses  had  been  left;  but,  as  we  expected, 
they  were  gone.    A  brief  examination  of  the 

f round  convinced  us  that  they  had  been 
riven  off  by  the  Indians.  Carson  and 
Godey  volunteered  with  the  Mexican  to  puN 
sue  them ;  and,  well  mounted,  the  three  set 
off  on  the  trail.  At  this  stopping  place  there 
were  a  few  bushes  and  very  little  grass.  Ita 
water  was  a  pool ;  but  near  by  was  a  spring, 
which  had  been  dug  out  by  Indians  or  trav* 
ellers.  Its  water  was  cool — a  great  refresh* 
ment  to  us  under  a  burning  sun. 

In  the  evening  Fuentes  returned,  his  horse 
having  failed;  but  Carson  and  Godey  had 
continued  the  pursuit. 

I  observed  to-night  an  occultation  of  <fi 
Cancri,  at  the  dark  limb  of  the  moon,  which 
gives  for  the  longitude  of  the  place  116°  23' 
28";  the  latitude,  by- observation,  is  36"  13' 
08",  From  Helvetia  to  this  place,  the  posi- 
tions along  the  intervening  line  are  laid  ooMm 
with  the  longitudes  obtained  from  the  chro- 
nometer, which  appears  to  have  retained  ita 
rate  remarkably  well ;  but  henceforward,  ta 
the  end  of  the  journey,  the  few  longitudet 
given  are  absolute,  depending  upon  a  subBe> 
quent  occultation  and  eclipses  of  the  satel* 
lites. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  a  war- 
whoop  was  heard,  such  as  Indians  make 
when  returning  from  a  victorious  enterprise  i 
and  soon  Carson  and  Godey  appeared,  driv- 
ing before  them  a  band  of  horses,  recognized 
by  Fuentes  to  be  part  of  those  they  had  lost. 
Two  bloody  scalps,  dangling  from  the  end  of 
Godey'8  gun,  announced  that  they  had  over- 
taken the  Indians  as  well  as  the  horses, 
They  informed  us,  that  after  Fuentes  lefl 
them,  from  the  failure  of  his  horse,  they  con- 
tinued the  pursuit  alone,  and  towards  night- 
fall entered  the  mountains,  into  which  the 
trail  led.  After  sunset,  the  moon  gave  light, 
and  they  followed  the  trail  by  moonshine 
until  late  in  the  night,  when  it  entered  a  nar- 
row defile,  and  was  difficult  to  follow.  Afraid 
of  losing  it  in  the  darkness  of  the  defile,  they 
tied  up  their  horses,  struck  no  fire,  and  lay 
down  to  sleep  in  silence  and  in  darkness. 
Here  they  lay  from  midnight  till  morning. 
At  daylight  they  resumed  the  pursuit,  and 
about  sunrise  discovered  the  horses ;  and( 
immediately  dismounting  and  tying  up  their 
own,  they  crept  cautiously  to  a  rising  ground 
which  intervened,  from  t;ie  "rest  of  which 
they  perceived  the  encampment  ot  four  lodgei 
close  by.  They  proceeded  quietly,  and  had 
got  within  thirty  or  forty  ynrds  of  their  «t^ 


^X-.: 


1844.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


161 


ard  along  ow 

road  bore  a  liu 
rds  a  gap  in  a 
id,  after  travel* 
,  we  arrived  at 
)ring  where  the 
IS  we  expected, 
imination  of  the 
they  had  been 
Carson  and 
Mexican  to  pur* 
ed,  the  three  set 
ping  place  there 
ittle  grass.  Iti 
by  was  a  spring, 
Indians  or  trav* 
-a  great  refresh* 
sun. 

turned,  his  horse 
and  Godey  had 

tccultation  of  a* 
the  moon,  which 
,e  place  11  e^  23' 
mtion,  is  36'  13' 
B  place,  the  posi* 
ine  are  laid  aown 
d  from  the  chro- 
bave  retained  iti 
henceforward,  ta 
i  few  longitude! 
ng  upon  a  subs» 
3ses  of  the  satel* 

next  day,  a  war- 
is  Indians  make 
orious  enterprise ; 
\y  appeared,  driv- 
lorses,  recognized 
ose  they  had  lost. 
g  from  the  end  of 
lat  they  had  over- 
1  as  the  horses, 
ifter  Fuentes  lefl 
s  horse,  they  con- 
id  towards  night 
f.  into  which  the 

moon  gave  light, 
lil  by  moonshine 
n  it  entered  a  nar- 
lo  follow.  Afraid 
lot  the  defile,  they 
c  no  fire,  and  lay 
and  in  darkness, 
ight  till  morning. 

the  pursuit,  and 
the  horses;  and, 
ind  tying  up  their 
to  a  rising  ground 
le  rrcst  of  which 
nentoi'four  lodget 
i  quietly,  and  had 
yards  of  Jheir  •!► 


i 


ject,  when  a  movement  among  the  horses 
discovered  them  to  the  Indians ;  giving  the 
war  shout,  they  instantly  charged  into  the 
camp,  regardless  of  the  number  which  the 
four  lodges  would  imply.    The  Indians  re- 
ceived them  with  a  flight  of  arrows  shot 
from  their  long  bows,  one  of  which  passed 
through  Godey's  shirt  collar,  barely  missing 
the  neck ;  our  men  fired  their  rifles  upon  a 
steady  aim,  and  rushed  in.    Two  Indians 
were  stretched  on  the  ground,  fatally  pierced 
with  bullets ;  the  rest  fled,  except  a  lad  that 
was  captured.      The  scalps  of  the   fallen 
were  instantly  stripped  off;  but  in  the  pro- 
cess, one  of  them,  who  had  two  balls  through 
his  body,  sprung  to  his  feet,  the  blood  stream- 
ing from  his  slcinned  head,  and  uttering  a 
hideous  howl.    An  old  squaw,  possibly  his 
mother,  stopped  and  loiked  bacK  from  the 
mountain  side  she  was  climbing,  threatening 
and  lamenting.    The  frightful  spectacle  ap- 
palled the  stout  hearts  of  our  men ;  but  they 
did  what  humanity  required,  and  quickly  ter- 
minated the  agonies  of  the  gory  savage. 
They  were  now  masters  of  the  camp,  which 
was  a  pretty  little  recess  in  the  mountain, 
with  a  fine  spring,  and  appu  'ently  safe  from 
all  invasion.    Great  preparations  had  been 
made  to  feast  a  large  party,  for  it  was  a  very 
proper  place  for  a  rendezvous,  and  for  the 
celebration  of  such  orgies  as  robbers  of  the 
desert  would  delight  in.     Several  of  the  best 
horses  had  been  killed,  skinned,  and  cut  up ; 
for  the  Indians  living  in  mountains,  and  only 
coming  into  the  plains  to  rob  and  murder, 
make  n?  other  use  of  horses  than  to  eat  them. 
Large  earthen  vessels  were  on  the  fire,  boiling 
and  stewing  the  horse  beef;  and  several  bas- 
kets, containing  fifty  or  sixty  pairs  of  mocca- 
siuA,  indicated  the  presence,  or  expectation, 
of  a  considerable  party.    They  released  the 
boy,  who  had  given  strong  evidence  of  the 
stoicism,  or  something  else,  of  the  savage 
character,  in  commencing  his  breakfast  upon 
a  horse's  head  as  soon  as  he  found  he  was 
not  to  be  killed,  but  only  tied  as  a  prisoner. 
Their  object  accomplished,  our  men  gathered 
up  all  the  surviving  horses,  fifteen  in  number, 
returned  upon  their  trail,  and  rejoined  us  at  our 
camp  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day.    They 
had  rode  about  100  miles  in  the  pursuit  and 
rcturn,andall  inthirty  hours.  The  time,  place, 
object,  and  numbers,  considered,  this  expedi- 
tion of  Carson  and  Godey  may  be  considered 
among  the  boldest  and  most  disinterested 
which  the  annals  of  western  adventure,  so 
full  of  daring  deeds,  can  present.    Two  men, 
in  a  savage  desert,  pursue  day  and  night  an 
unknown  body  of  Indians  into  the  defiles  of 
an  unknown  mountain — attack  them  on  sight, 
without  counting  numbers — and  defeat  them 
in  an  instant— and  for  what?    To  punish 
the  robbers  of  the  desert,  and  to  avenge  tlie 
wrongs  of  Mexicans  whom  they  did  not 


know.  I  repeat :  it  was  Carson  and  Godey 
who  did  this — the  former  an  American,  bom 
in  the  Boonslick  county  of  Missouri ;  the  lat- 
ter a  Frenchman,  born  in  St.  Louis — and 
both  trained  to  western  enterprise  from  early 
life. 

By  the  information  of  Fuentes,  we  had 
now  to  make  a  long  stretch  of  forty  or  fifty 
miles  across  a  plain  which  lay  between  ua 
and  the  next  possible  camp  ;  and  we  resum- 
ed our  journey  late  in  the  afternoon,  with  the 
intention  of  travelling  through  the  night, 
and  avoiding  the  excessive  heat  of  the  day, 
which  was  oppressive  to  our  animals.    For 
several  hours  we  travelled  across  a  high 
plain,  passing,  at  the  opposite  side,  through 
a  canon  by  the  bed  of  a  creek  running 
northwardly  into  a  small  lake  beyond,  ana 
both  of  them  being  dry.    We  had  a  warm, 
moonshiny  night ;    and,  travelling  directly 
towards  the  north  star,  we  journeyed  now 
across  an    open  plain  between    mountain 
ridges ;  that  on  the  left  being  broken,  rocky^ 
and  bald,  according  to  the  information  of 
Carson  and  Godey,  who  had  entered  here  in- 
pursuit  of  the  horses.  The  plain  appeared  co- 
vered principally  with  the  zysoj)hyllum  Calu 
fomicum  already  mentioned;  and  the  line 
of  our  road  was  marked  by  the  skeletons  of 
horses,  which  were  strewed  to  a  considera- 
ble breadth  over  the  plain.    We  were  after- 
wards always  warned,  on  entering  one  of 
these  long  stretches,  by  the  bones  of  these 
animals,  which  had  perished  before  they  could 
reach  the  water.    About  midnight  we  reach- 
ed a  considerable  stream  bed,  now  dry,  the 
discharge  of  the  waters  of  this  basin  (when 
it  collected  any),  down  which  we  descended 
in  a   northwesterly  direction.      The   creek 
bed  was  overgrown  with  shrubbery,  and  se- 
veral hours  before  day  it  brought  us  to  the 
entrance  of  a  canon,  where  we  found  water^ 
and  encamped.    This  word  caHon  is  used 
by  the  Spaniards  to  signify  a  defile  or  gorge 
in  a  creek  or  river,  where  high  rocks  press 
in  close,  and  make  a  narrow  way,  usually 
diflicult,  and  often  impossible  to  be  passed. 
In  the  morning  we  found  that  we  had  a 
very  poor    camping  ground :    a    swampy, 
salty  spot,  with  a  little  long,  unwholesome 
grass  ;  and  the  water,  which  rose  in  springs, 
being  useful  only  to  wet  the  mouth,  but  en- 
tirely too  salt  to  drink.    All  around  was 
sand  and  rocks,  and  skeletons  of  horses 
which  had  not  been  able  to  find  support  for 
their  lives.    As  we  were  about  to  start,  we 
found,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred 
yards,  among  the  hills  to  the  southward,  a 
spring  of  tolerably  good  water,  which  was  a 
relief  to  ourselves  ;  but  the  place  was  too  poor 
to  remain  long,  and  therefore  we  continued 
on  this  morning.    On  the  creek  were  thick- 
ets   of    sjnrolobium  odoratum  (acacia)   iu 
bloom,  and  very  fragrant. 


lU 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844 


.Ih 


throug'i  the  caSon,  we  entered 
uioCher  sandy  bejin,  through  which  the  dr/ 
itMKni  bed  rontinued  its  northwesterly 
coarse,  in  which  direction  appeared  a  high 
anowy  mourcain. 

We  travelled  through  a  barren  district, 
where  a  heavy  gale  was  blowing  about 
the  looje  sand,  and,  after  a  ride  of  eight 
miles,  reached  a  large  creek  of  salt  and  bit- 
ter v/ater,  running  m  a  westerly  direction, 
to  rrceive  the  stream  bed  we  had  left.  It  is 
cal'ed  by  the  Spaniards  Amargosa — ^the  bit- 
tei'  water  of  the  desert.  Where  wr  struck 
ic,  the  stream  bends ;  and  we  conti;.t^ed  in  a 
northerly  course  up  the  ravine  of  its  "alley, 
passing  on  the  way  a  fork  from  he  '  ght, 
near  which  occurred  a  bed  of  int.,  con- 
sisting of  a  remarkable  new  genus  of  cruci- 
feret. 

6raduai1y  ascending,  the  ravine  opened 
into  a  green  valley,  where,  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  were  springs  of  excellent  water. 
We  encamped  among  groves  of  the  new 
acacia,  and  there  was  an  abundance  of  good 
grass  for  the  animals. 

This  was  the  best  camping  ground  we  had 
seen  since  we  struck  the  Spanish  trail.  The 
day's  journey  was  about  twelve  miles. 

April  29. — To-day  we  had  to  reach  the 
ArchUette,  distant  seven  miles,  where  the 
Mexican  party  had  been  attacked ;  and  leav- 
ing our  encamptaent  early,  we  traversed  a 
part  of  the  desert,  the  most  sterile  and  repul- 
sive that  we  had  yet  seen.  Its  prominent 
features  were  dark  sierras,  naked  and  dry ; 
on  the  plains  a  few  straggling  shrubs — 
among  them,  cactus  of  several  varieties. 
Fuentes  pointed  out  one  called  by  the  Span- 
iards bisnada,  which  has  a  juicy  pulp,  slight- 
ly acid,  and  is  eaten  by  the  traveller  to  allay 
thirst.  Our  course  was  generally  north ; 
and,  after  crossing  an  intervening  ridge,  we 
descended  into  a  sandy  plain,  or  basin,  in  the 
middle  of  which  was  the  grassy  spot,  with 
its  springs  and  willow  bushes,  which  consti- 
tutes a  camping  place  in  the  desert,  and  is 
called  the  ArchUette.  The  dead  silence  of 
the  place  was  ominous ;  and,  galloping  ra- 
pidly up,  we  found  only  the  corpses  of  the 
two  men :  everything  else  was  gone.  They 
were  naked,  mutilated,  and  pierced  with  ar- 
rows. Hernandez  had  evidently  fought,  and 
with  desperation.  He  lay  in  advance  of  the 
willow  half-faced  tent,  which  sheltered  his 
family,  as  if  he  had  come  out  to  meet  dan- 
ger, and  to  repulse  it  from  that  asylum.  One 
of  his  hands,  and  both  his  legs,  had  been  cut 
off.  Giacome,  who  was  a  large  and  strong 
looking  man,  was  lying  in  one  of  the  willow 
■belters,  pierced  with  arrows.  Of  the 
women  no  trace  could  be  found,  and  it  was 
evident  they  had  been  carried  off  captive. 
A  little  lap-dog,  which  had  belonged  to  Pa- 
blo's mother,  remained  with  the  dead  bodies. 


and  was  frantic  with  joy  at  seeing  Piblo : 
he,  poor  child,  was  frantic  with  grief;  ani 
filled  the  air  with  lamentations  for  his  &ther 
and  mother.  Mi  padre!  Mimadre! — was 
his  incessant  cry.  When  we  beheld  thic 
pitiable  sight,  and  pictured  to  ourselves  the 
fate  of  the  two  women,  carried  off  by  sava^ 
ges  so  brutal  and  so  loathsome,  all  compunc- 
tion for  the  scalped-alive  Indian  ceased ;  and 
we  rejoiced  that  Carson  and  Godey  ha''  been 
able  to  give  so  useful  a  lesson  to  Jiese 
American  Arabs,  who  lie  in  wait  to  murder 
and  plunder  the  innocent  traveller. 

We  were  all  too  much  affected  by  the  sad 
feelings  which  the  place  inspired,  to  remain 
an  unnecessary  moment.  The  night  we 
were  obliged  to  pass  there.  Early  in  the 
morning  we  left  i'.,  having  first  written  a 
brief  account  of  what  had  happened,  and  put 
it  in  the  cleft  of  a  pole  planted  at  the  spring, 
that  the  approaching  caravan  might  learn 
the  fate  of  their  Iriends.  In  commemoration 
of  the  event,  we  called  the  place  Agva  de 
Hernandez — Hernandez's  spring.  By  obser- 
vation, its  latitude  was  35^  51'  21". 

April  30.—  We  continued  our  journey  over 
a  district  simihir  to  that  of  the  day  before. 
From  the  sandy  basin,  in  which  was  the 
spring,  we  entered  another  basin  of  the  same 
character,  surrounded  everywhere  by  moun- 
tains. Before  us  stretched  a  high  range, 
rising  still  higher  to  the  left,  and  terminating 
in  a  snowy  mountain. 

After  a  day's  march  of  24  miles,  we  reached 
at  evening  the  bed  of  a  stream  from  which  the 
water  had  disappea/ed ;  a  little  only  remained 
in  holes,  which  we  increased  by  digging; 
and  about  a  mile  above,  the  stream,  not  yet 
entirely  sunk,  was  spread  out  over  the  sands, 
affording  a  little  water  for  the  animals.  The 
stream  came  out  of  the  mountains  on  the 
left,  very  slightly  wooded  with  Cottonwood, 
willow,  and  acacia,  and  a  few  dwarf  oaks ; 
and  grass  was  nearly  as  scarce  as  water.  A 
plant  with  showy  yellow  flowers  (StanJeya 
integrifolia)  occurred  abundantly  at  intervals 
for  the  last  two  days,  and  eriogonum  infia- 
tum  was  among  the  characteristic  plants. 

May  1. — The  air  is  rough,  and  overcoats 
pleasant.  The  sky  is  blue,  and  the  day 
bright.  Our  road  was  over  a  plain,  towards 
the  foot  of  the  mountain ;  zygophyllum 
Califomicum,  now  in  bloom  with  a  small 
yellow  flower,  is  characteristic  of  the  coun- 
try ;  and  cacti  were  very  abundant,  and  in 
rich  fresh  bloom,  which  wonderfully  orna- 
ments this  poor  country.  We  encamped  at 
a  spring  in  the  pass,  which  had  been  the 
site  of  an  old  village.  Here  we  found  excel- 
lent grass,  but  very  little  water.  We  dug 
out  the  old  spring,  and  watered  some  of  our 
animals.  The  mountain  here  was  wooded 
very  slightly  with  the  nut  pine,  cedars,  and 
a  awarf  species  of  oak;  and  among  tkt 


[1844 

seeing  Pablo: 
vitb  grief;  and 
iS  for  his  &ther 
i  madre  ! — was 
ve  beheld  this 
}  ourselves  the 
led  off  by  sava* 
le,  all  compunc- 
an  ceased ;  and 
Godeyhai'  been 
esson  to  itiese 
wait  to  murder 
seller. 

icted  by  the  sad 
ired,  to  remain 
The  night  we 
Early  in  the 
first  written  a 
ppened,  and  put 
id  at  the  spring, 
m  might  learn 
commemoration 
place  Agtia  de 
ing.  By  obser- 
il'21". 

)ur  journey  over 
the  day  before, 
which  was  the 
asin  of  the  same 
where  by  moun- 
a  high  range, 
and  terminating 

lilea,  we  reached 
I  from  which  the 
le  only  remained 
;ed  by  digging; 
stream,  not  yet 
it  over  the  sands, 
e  animals.  The 
Quntains  on  the 
nth.  Cottonwood, 
Bw  dwarf  oaks ; 
rce  as  water.  A 
Qwers  {Stardeya 
antly  at  intervals 
eriogonum  infla- 
eristic  plants. 
I,  and  overcoats 
le,  and  the  day 

a  plain,  towards 
n ;  zygophyllum 
m  with  a  small 
itic  of  the  coun- 
bundant,  and  in 
'onderfuUy  orna- 
Ve  encamped  at 
jh  had  been  the 
B  we  found  excel- 
Bvater.  We  dug 
;red  some  of  our 
lere  was  wooded 
)ine,  cedars,  aad 

and  among  tkt 


1 


1844.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE, 


m 


ibrubs  were  Purshia  tridentata,  artemisia, 
and  ephedra  occidentaUs.  The  numerous 
shrubs  which  constitute  the  vegetation  ef 
the  plains  are  now  in  bloom,  with  flowers  of 
white,  yellow,  red,  and  purple.  The  con- 
tiaual  rocks,  and  want  of  water  and  grass, 
begin  to  be  very  hard  on  our  mules  and 
horses ;  but  the  principal  loss  is  occasioned 
by  their  crippled  feet,  the  greater  part  of 
those  left  being  in  excellent  order,  and 
scarcely  a  day  passes  without  some  loss; 
and,  one  by  one,  Puentes's  horses  are  con- 
stantly dropping  behind.  Whenever  they 
give  out,  he  dismounts  and  cuts  olTtheir  tails 
and  manes,  to  make  saddle  girths ;  the  last 
advantage  one  can  gain  from  them. 

The  next  day,  in  a  short  but  rough  ride 
of  12  miles,  we  crossed  the  mountain ;  and, 
descending  to  a  small  valley  plain,  encamped 
at  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  on  the  bed  of  a  creek, 
where  we  found  good  grass  in  sufficient 
quantity,  and  abundance  of  water  in  holes. 
The  ridge  is  extremely  rugged  and  broken, 
presenting  on  this  side  a  continued  precipice, 
and  probably  affords  very  few  passes.  Many 
digger  tracks  are  seen  around  us,  but  no  In- 
dians were  visible. 

May  3. — After  a  day's  journey  of  18  miles, 
in  a  northeasterly  direction,  we  encamped  in 
the  midst  of  another  very  large  basin,  at  a 
camping  ground  called  las  Vegas— a,  term 
which  the  Spaniards  use  to  signify  fertile  or 
marshy  plains,  in  contradistinction  to  llanos, 
which  tiiey  apply  to  dry  and  sterile  plains. 
Two  narrow  streams  of  clear  water,  four  or 
five  feet  deep,  gush  suddenly,  with  a  quick 
current,  from  two  singularly  large  springs ; 
these,  and  other  waters  of  the  basin,  pass  out 
in  a  gap  to  the  eastward.  The  taste  of  the 
water  is  good,  but  rather  too  warm  to  be 
agreeable;  the  temperature  being  71°  in  the 
one,  and  73®  in  the  other.  They,  however, 
afforded  a  delightful  bathing  place. 

May  4. — We  started  this  morning  earlier 
than  usual,  travelling  in  a  northeasterly  di- 
rection across  the  plain.    The  new  acacia 
(spirolobium  odoratum)  has  now  become  the 
characteristic  tree  of  the  country ;  it  is  in 
bloom,  and  its  blossoms  are  very  fragrant. 
The  day  was  still,  and  the  heat,  which  soon 
became  very  oppressive,  appeared  to  bring 
out  strongly   the   refreshing   scent  of   the 
zygophyllaceous  shrubs  and  the  sweet  per- 
fume of  the  acacia.    The  snowy  ridge  we 
had  just  crossed  looked  out  conspicuously  in 
the  northwest.    In  about  five  iours'  ride,  we 
crossed  a  gap  in  tlie  surrounding  ridge,  and 
the  appearance  of  skeletons  of  horses  very 
soon  warned  us  that  we  were  engaged  in 
another  dry  jomada,  which  proved  the  long- 
est we  liad  made  in  all  our  journey — between 
fifty  and  sixty  miles  without  a  drop  of  water. 
Travellers    through    countries    affording 
water  and  timber  can  have  no  conception  of 


our  intolerable  thirst  while  journeying  oyer 
the  hot  yellow  sands  of  this  elevated  coun- 
try, where  the  heated  air  seems  to  be  entire- 
ly deprived  of  moisture.  We  ate  occasion- 
ally the  bisnada,  and  moistened  our  mouths 
with  the  acid  of  the  sour  dock  {rumex  veno- 
sus).  Hourly  expecting  to  find  water,  we 
continued  to  press  on  until  towards  midnight, 
when,  after  a  hard  and  uninterrupted  march 
of  16  hours,  our  wild  mules  began  running 
ahead ;  and  in  a  mile  or  two  we  came  to  a 
bold  running  stream — so  keen  is  the  sense 
of  that  animal,  in  these  desert  regions,  in 
scenting  at  a  distance  this  necessary  of  life. 

According  to  the  information  we  had  re- 
ceived, Sevier  river  was  a  tributary  of  the 
Colorado  ;  and  this,  accordingly,  sbfiuld  have 
been  one  of  its  affluents.  It  proved  to  be  the 
Rio  de  las  Angeles  (river  of  the  Angels) — a 
branch  of  the  Rio  Virgen  (river  ^fith)?  Yiir- 
gin).  .,',,:  ,1   v' 

May  5. — On  account  cf  our  anima^,,'  it 
was  necessary  to  remain  tv  -Any  iit  thi8;,pljice,. 
Indians  crowded  numerous  y  around  ;|»6ii,i|» 
the  morning;  and  we  were  .obliged  to  l<;eep 
arms  in  hand  all  day,  to  kee|>  them  oot.pf 
the  camp.  They  began  to  surround;  the 
horses,  which,  for  the  convenience  of  gtna^, 
we  were  guarding  a  little  above,  on  the  riv^^. 
These  were  immediately  driven  in,  and  kegt 
close  to  the  camp.  '     < 

In  the  darkness  of  the  night  we  iiad  made 
a  very  bad  encampment,  our  fires  being 
commanded  by  a  rocky  bluff  within  50  yards ; 
but,  notwithstanding,  we  had  the  river  and 
small  thickets  of  willows  on  the  other  side. 
Several  times  during  the  day  the  camp  was 
insulted  by  the  Indians ;  but,  peace  being  our 
object,  I  kept  simply  on  the  defensive.  Some 
of  the  Indians  were  on  the  bottoms,  and  others 
haranguing  us  from  the  bluffs ;  and  they  were 
scattered  \n  every  direction  over  the  hills. 
Their  language  being  probably  a  dialect  of 
the  Utah,  with  the  aid  of  signs  some  of  our 
people  could  comprehend  them  very  well. 
They  were  the  same  people  who  had  mur- 
dered the  Mexicans;  and  towards  us  their 
disposition  was  evidently  hostile,  nor  were 
we  well  disposed  towards  them.  They  were 
barefooted,  and  nearly  naked ;  their  hair  gath- 
ered up  into  a  knot  behind ;  and  with  his 
bow,  each  man  carried  a  quiver  with  thi'ty 
or  forty  arrows  partially  drawn  out.  Besides 
these,  each  held  in  his  hand  two  or  three  ar- 
rows for  instant  service.  Their  arrows  are 
barbed  with  a  very  clear  translucent  stone,  a 
species  of  opal,  nearly  as  hard  as  the  dia- 
mond ;  and,  shot  from  their  long  bow,  are  al- 
most as  effective  as  a  gunshot.  In  these 
Indians,  I  was  forcibly  struck  by  an  expres- 
sion of  countenance  resembling  that  in  a 
beast  of  prey  ;  and  all  their  actions  are  those 
of  wild  animals.  .Toined  to  the  restless  mo- 
tion of  the  eye,  there  is  a  want  of  mind— •> 


IM 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844. 


absence  of  thought — and  an  itcMon  wholly 
by  impulse,  strongly  expressed,  and  which 
constantly  recalls  the  similarity. 

A  man  who  appeared  to  be  a  chief,  with 
two  or  three  others,  forced  himself  into  camp, 
bringing  with  him  his  arms,  in  spite  of  my 
orders  to  the  contrary.  When  shown  our 
weapons,  he  bored  his  ear  with  his  fingers, 
and  said  he  could  not  hear.  "  Why,"  said 
he,  "  there  are  none  of  you."  Counting  the 
people  around  the  camp,  and  including  in  the 
number  a  mule  which  was  being  shod,  he 
made  out  22.  "  So  many,"  said  he,  showing 
the  number,  "  and  we — we  are  a  great 
many  -,"  and  he  pointud  to  the  hills  and  moun* 
tains  round  about.  "  If  you  have  your  arms," 
said  lie,  twanging  his  bow,"  «  enave  these." 
I  had  some  difficulty  in  restraining  tiio  peo- 
ple, particularly  Carson,  who  felt  an  insult 
of  ihis  kind  as  much  as  if  it  had  been  given 
ty  a  more  rpsponsible  being.  "  Don't  say 
•that,  old  mai<,"  said  he;  "  don't  you  say  that 
■■^our  iife'-s  in  danijer  " — speaking  in  jjood 
•English;  an,'  prop:'.bIy  the  old  man  was 
■tiedrer  tc  his  end  tluui  uo  will  be  before  he 
iaems  it; 

■"■  Sftveiul  animalti  ii  -ci  been  necessarily  left 
•twftihd'near  the  cjunp  la.«t  nifrht;  and  early 
hi'the  morning',  iietore  the  Indians  made  their 
•^'ppekitLnca,  several  men  were  sent  to  bring 
thehx  in.  Wiien  I  was  beginning  to  be  un- 
'tWtty  at  their  absence,  they  returned  with  in- 
formation that  they  had  been  driven  off  from 
the  trail  by  Indians  ;  and,  having  followed 
the  tracks  in  a  short  distance,  they  found  the 
Animals  cut  up  and  spread  out  upon  bushes. 
In  the  evening  I  gave  a  fatigued  horse  to 
some  of  the  Indians  for  a  feast ;  and  the  vil- 
lage which  carried  him  off  refused  to  share 
with  the  others,  who  made  loud  complaints 
from  the  rocks  of  the  partial  distribution. 
Many  of  these  Indians  had  long  sticks,  hook- 
ed at  the  end,  v^'  h  they  used  in  hauling  out 
lizards,  and  other  small  animals,  from  their 
holes.  During  the  day  they  occasionally 
roasted  and  ate  lizards  at  our  fires.  These 
belong  to  the  people  who  are  generally  known 
under  the  name  of  Diggers ;  and  to  these  I 
have  more  particularly  had  reference  when 
occasionally  speaking  of  a  people  whose  sole 
occupation  is  to  procure  food  sufficient  to 
■npport  existence.  The  formation  here  con- 
sists of  fine  yellow  sandstone,  alternating  with 
a  coarse  conglomerate,  in  which  the  stones 
are  from  the  size  of  ordinary  gravel  to  six  or 
eight  inches  in  diameter.  This  is  the  forma- 
tion which  renders  the  surface  of  the  coun- 
try so  rocky,  and  gives  us  now  a  road  alter- 
nately of  loose  heavy  sands  and  rolled  stones, 
which  cripple  the  animals  in  a  most  extraor- 
diinary  manner. 

On  the  following  morning  we  left  the  Rin 
de  los  Atigeles,  and  continued  our  way  through 
the  same  desolate   and   revolting  country. 


where  lizards  were  the  only  animal,  and  the 
tracks  of  the  lizard  eaters  the  principal  sign 
of  human  beings.  After  twenty  miles' 
march  through  a  road  of  hills  and  heavy 
sands,  we  reached  the  most  dreary  river  I 
have  ever  seen — a  deep  rapid  stream,  almost 
a  torrent,  passing  swiftly  by,  and  roaring 
against  obstructions.  The  banks  were 
wooded  with  willow.,  acacia,  and  a  frequcut 
plant  of  the  coviulry  already  mentiujii'd 
(Garrya  eUivHca),  gTO^\  ij  in  thickets,  re- 
sembling willow,  and  bearing  a  small  ;)i7;> 
floiver.  Crossing  ii,  we  e>,'inij>i  on  rh; 
'  left  bank,  where  we  fuund  a  ver)  little  ^^caso. 
Our  three  remaining  steers,  being  entirely 
given  out,  were  killed  nere.  By  the  boiling 
poihl,  the  elevation  of  the  river  here  is  4,060 
feet  j  and  latitude,  by  observation,  36°  4? ' 
33".  The  stream  was  runnin^^  towa  Js  the 
sout''i\^rest,  and  appeared  to  come  from  a 
snowy  mouatain  in  the  north.  It  proved  to 
be  the  Ric  Virgen — a  {ributai;  i "<  the  Colo- 
rado. Indians  appeared  ii;  bands  on  the  hills, 
but  did  not  come  into  camp.  For  several 
days  we  continued  our  journey  up  the  river, 
the  bottoms  of  wliich  were  thickly  overgrown 
with  various  kinds  of  brush ;  and  the  sand) 
soil  was  absolutely  covered  with  the  tracb 
of  Diggers,  who  followed  us  stealthily,  like 
a  band  of  wolve^^ ;  and  we  had  no  opportunity 
to  leave  behind,  even  for  a  few  hours,  the 
tired  animals,  in  order  that  they  might  be 
brought  into  camp  after  a  little  repose.  A 
horse  or  mule,  left  hehind,  was  taken  off  in  a 
moment.  On  the  evening  of  the  8th,  having 
travelled  28  miles  up  the  river  from  our  first 
encampment  on  it,  we  encamped  at  a  little 
grass  plat,  where  a  spring  of  cool  water  is- 
sued from  the  bluff.  On  the  opposite  side 
was  a  grove  of  cottonwoods  at  the  moutli  of 
a  fork,  which  here  enters  the  river.  On  ei- 
ther side  the  valley  is  bounded  by  ranges  of 
mountains,  everywhere  high,  rocky,  and 
broken.  The  caravan  road  was  lost  and 
scattered  in  the  sandy  country,  and  we  had 
been  following  an  Indian  trail  up  the  river. 
The  hunters  the  next  day  were  sent  out  to 
reconnoitre,  and  in  the  meantime  we  moved 
about  a  mile  farther  up,  where  we  found  a 
good  little  patch  of  grass.  There  being  only 
sufficient  grass  for  the  night,  the  horses 
were  sent  with  a  strong  guard  in  charge  of 
Tabeau  to  a  neighboring  hollow,  where  thejf 
might  pasture  during  the  day ;  and,  to  be 
ready  in  case  the  Indians  should  make  any 
attempt  on  the  animals,  several  of  the  best 
iiorses  were  picketed  at  the  camp.  In  a  few 
hours  the  hunters  returned,  having  found  a 
convenient  ford  in  the  river,  and  discovwed 
the  Spanish  trail  on  'he  other  side. 

I  had  been  engaged  in  arranging  plants ; 
and,  fatigued  witli  the  heat  of  the  day,  I  fell 
asleep  in  the  afternoon,  and  did  not  awake 
until  sundown.    Presently  Carson  came  Is 


1844.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


167 


[1844. 

ily  animal,  and  the 
}  the  principal  sign 
:ter  twenty  milei' 
>f  hills  and  heavy 
nost  dreary  rirer  1 
apid  stream,  almost 
y  by,  and  roaring 

The  banks  were 
cia,  and  a.  freqv.eut 

already  rnentioRS'd 

ij  in  thicketKj  ri- 
airiiig  a  small  jtir,  t 

eiv.'anjj*'!  on  ik: 
i  a  ve-rj  little  f^raso. 

ers,  being  entirely 
re.    By  the  boiling 

river  here  is  4,060 
'iservation,  36'  4V 
annin{^  towa  Js  the 
to  come  from  a 
north.  Tl  proved  to 
ibutav^  i  i  the  Colo- 

i  bands  on  the  hills, 
lamp.  For  several 
oumey  up  the  river, 
e  thickly  overgrown 
ash ;  and  the  sand) 
red  with  the  trackis 
us  stealthily,  like 
3  had  no  opportunity 
)r  a  few  hours,  the 
that  they  might  be 
•  a  little  repose.  A 
d,  was  taken  off  in  a 
ig  of  the  8th,  having 
3  river  from  our  first 
;ncamped  at  a  little 
ing  of  cool  water  is- 
3n  the  opposite  side 
tods  at  the  mouth  of 
s  the  river.  On  ei* 
aunded  by  ranges  of 

high,   rocky,    and 

road  was  lost  and 
country,  and  we  had 
n  trail  up  the  river, 
ay  were  sent  out  to 
meantime  we  moved 
I,  where  we  found  a 
3.  There  being  only 
e  night,  the  horses 
r  guard  in  charge  of 
g  hollow,  where  thejf 
he  day;  and,  to  be 
ns  should  make  any 
i,  several  of  the  best 

the  camp.  In  a  few 
•ned,  having  found  a 
river,  and  discovered 

other  side, 
in  arranging  plants; 
leat  of  the  day,  I  fell 
,  and  did  not  awake 
ntly  Carson  came  •• 


■e,  and  reported  that  Tabeau,  who  early  in 
the  day  had  left  his  post,  and,  without  my 
knowledge,  rode  back  to  the  camp  we  had 
left,  in  learch  of  a  lame  mule,  had  not  re- 
turned. While  we  were  speaking,  a  smoke 
TOM  suddenly  from  the  Cottonwood  grove  be- 
low, which  plainly  told  us  what  had  befallen 
him  ;  it  was  raised  to  inform  the  surround- 
ing Indians  that  a  blow  had  been  struck,  and 
to  tell  them  to  be  on  their  guard.  Carsoa, 
with  several  men  well  mounted,  was  instantly 
sent  down  the  river,  but  returned  in  the  night 
without  tidings  of  the  missing  man.  They 
went  to  the  camp  we  had  left,  but  neither  he 
nor  the  mule  was  there.  Searching  down 
the  river,  they  found  the  tracks  of  the  mule, 
evidently  driven  alon^  by  Indians,  whose 
tracks  were  on  each  side  of  those  made  by 
the  animal.  After  going  several  miles,  they 
came  to  the  mule  itself,  standing  in  some 
boshes,  mortally  wounded  in  the  side  by  an 
arrow,  and  left  to  die,  that  it  might  be  after- 
wards butchered  for  food.  They  also  found, 
in  another  place,  as  thev  were  hunting  about 
on  the  ground  for  Tabeau's  tracks,  some- 
thing that  looked  like  a  little  puddle  of  blood, 
but  which  the  darkness  prevented  them  from 
verifying.  With  these  details  they  returned 
to  our  camp,  and  their  report  saddened  all  our 
hearts. 

May  10. — This  morning  as  soon  as  there 
was  light  enough  to  follow  tracks,  I  set  out 
myself  with  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  and  several 
men,  in  search  of  Tabeau.  We  went  to 
the  spot  where  the  appearance  of  puddled 
blood  had  been  seen ;  and  this,  we  saw  at 
once,  had  been  the  place  where  he  fell  and 
died.  Blood  upon  the  leaves,  and  beaten 
down  bushes,  showed  that  he  had  got  his 
wound  about  twenty  paces  from  where  he 
fell,  and  that  he  had  struggled  for  his  life. 
He  had  probably  been  shot  through  the 
lungs  with  an  arrow.  From  the  place  where 
he  lay  and  bled,  it  could  be  seen  that  he  had 
been  dragged  to  the  river  bank,  and  thrown 
mto  it.  No  vestige  of  what  had  belonged  to 
him  could  be  found,  except  a  fragment  of  his 
horse  equipment.  Horse,  gun,  clothes— all 
became  the  prey  of  these  Arabs  of  the  New 
World. 

Tabeau  had  been  one  of  our  best  men, 
and  his  unhappy  death  spread  a  gloom  ovei 
our  party.  Men,  who  have  gone  through 
such  dangers  and  sufferings  as  vve  had  seen, 
become  like  brothers,  and  feel  each  other's 
loss.  To  defend  and  avenge  each  olber,  is 
tke  deep  feeling  of  all.  We  wished  to 
•vengs  his  death ;  but  the  condition  of  our 
horses,  languishing  for  grass  and  repose, 
forbade  an  expedition  into  unknown  moun- 
tains. We  knew  the  tribe  who  had  done 
the  mischief — the  same  which  had  been  in- 
sulting our  camp.  They  knew  what  they 
deserved,  i\nd  had  the  discretion  to  show 


themselves  to  us  no  more.  The  day  before, 
they  infested  our  camp;  now,  not  one  ap- 
peared ;  nor  did  we  ever  afterwards  see  but 
one  who  even  belonged  to  the  same  tribe^ 
and  he  at  a  distance. 

Our  camp  was  in  a  basin  below  a  deep 
canon — a  gap  of  two  thousand  feet  deep  in 
the  mountam — through  which  the  iZio  Virgen 
passes,  and  where  no  man  or  beast  could 
follow  it.  The  Spanish  trail,  which  we  had 
lost  in  the  sands  of  the  basin,  was  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river.  We  crossed  over 
to  it,  and  followed  it  northwardly  towards  a 
gap  which  was  visible  in  the  mountain.  We 
approached  it  by  a  defile,  rendered  difficult 
for  our  barefooted  animals  by  the  rocks 
strewed  along  it;  and  here  the  country 
changed  its  character.  From  the  time  we 
entered  the  desert,  the  mountains  had  been 
Ltiid  and  rocky ;  here  they  began  to  be  wood- 
ed with  cedar  and  pine,  and  clusters  of  trees 
gave  shelter  to  birds — a  new  and  welcome 
sight — which  could  not  have  lived  in  the 
desert  we  had  passed. 

Descending  a  long  hollow,  towards  the 
narrow  valley  of  a  stream,  we  saw  before  ug 
a  snowy  mountain,  far  beyond  which  ap- 
peared another  more  lofty  still.  Good  buncll 
grass  began  to  appear  on  the  hill  sides,  and 
here  we  found  a  singular  variety  of  inter- 
esting shrubs.  The  changed  appearance  of 
the  country  infused  among  our  people  a 
more  lively  spirit,  which  was  heightened 
by  finding  at  evening  a  halting  place  of  very 
good  grass  on  the  clear  waters  of  the  Santa 
Clara  fork  of  the  Rio  Virgen. 

May  11. — The  morning  was  cloudy  and 
quite  cool,  with  a  shower  of  rain — the  first 
we  have  had  since  entering  the  desert,  a  pe^ 
riod  of  twenty-seven  days ;  and  we  seem  to 
have  entered  a  diflferent  climate,  with  the 
usual  weather  of  the  Rocky  mountains. 
Our  march  to-day  was  very  laborious,  over 
very  broken  ground,  along  the  Santa  Clara 
river ;  but  then  the  country  is  no  longer  ao 
distressingly  desolate.  The  stream  is  pret- 
tily wooded  with  sweet  cottonwood  trees- 
some  of  them  of  large  size ;  and  on  the  hill^ 
where  the  nut  pine  is  often  seen,  a  good  and 
wholesome  grass  occurs  frequently.  This 
cottonwood,  which  is  now  in  fruit,  is  of  a 
different  species  from  any  in  Michaux's  Sylva. 
Heavy  dark  clouds  covered  the  sky  in  the 
evening,  and  a  cold  wind  sprai;;^  up,  making 
fires  and  overcoats  comfortajle. 

May  12. — A  little  above  our  encampment, 
the  river  forked ;  and  we  continued  up  the 
right-hand  branch,  gradually  ascending  to- 
wards the  summit  of  the  mountain.  As  we 
rose  tow'xrds  the  head  of  the  creek,  the 
snowy  mountain  on  our  right  showed  out 
handsomely — high  and  rugged  with  preci- 
pices, and  covered  with  snow  for  about  two 
thousand  feet    from  their    summits  dowDU 


168 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[18U 


Oar  animals  were  somewhat  repaid  for  their 
hard  marches  by  an  excellent  camping  ground 
on  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  which  forms  here 
tfie  dividing  chain  between  the  waters  of  the 
Rio  Vireen,  which  goes  south  to  the  Colora- 
do, and  those  of  Sevier  river,  flowing  north- 
wardly, and  belonging  to  the  Great  Basin. 
We  considered  ourselves  as  crossing  the  rim 
of  the  basin ;  and,  entering  it  at  this  point,  we 
found  here  an  extensive  mountain  meadow, 
rich  in  bunch  grass,  and  fresh  with  numerous 
springs  of  clear  water,  all  refreshing  and 
delightful  to  look  upon.  It  was,  in  fact,  that 
las  Vegas  de  Santa  Clara,  which  had  been 
BO  long  presented  to  us  as  the  terminating 
point  of  the  desert,  and  where  the  annual 
caravan  from  California  to  New  Mexico 
halted  and  recruited  for  some  weeks.  It 
was  a  very  suitable  place  to  recover  from 
the  fatigue  and  exhaustion  of  a  month's 
sufTering  in  the  hot  and  sterile  desert.  The 
meadow  was  about  a  mile  wide,  and  some 
ten  miles  long,  bordered  by  grassy  hills  and 
mountains — some  of  the  latter  rising  two 
thousand  feet,  and  white  with  snow  down  to 
the  level  of  the  vegas.  Its  elevation  above 
the  sea  was  5,280  feet ;  latitude,  by  obser- 
vation, 37°  28'  28" ;  and  its  distance  from 
where  we  first  struck  the  Spanish  trail  about 
four  hundred  miles.  Counting  from  the 
time  we  reached  the  desert,  and  began  to 
skirt,  at  our  descent  from  Walker's  Pass  in 
the  Sierra  Nevada,  we  had  travelled  550 
miles,  occupying  twenty-seven  days,  in  that 
inhospitable  region.    In  passing  before  the 

S;at  caravan,  we  had  the  advantage  of 
ding  more  grass,  but  the  disadvantage  of 
finding  also  the  marauding  savages,  who 
had  gathered  down  upon  the  trail,  waiting 
the  approach  of  that  prey.  This  greatly 
increased  our  labors,  besides  costing  us  the 
life  of  an  excellent  man.  We  had  to  move 
all  day  in  a  state  of  watch,  and  prepared 
for  combat — scouts  and  flankers  out,  a  front 
and  rear  division  of  our  men,  and  baggage 
animals  in  the  centre.  At  night,  camp  duty 
was  severe.  Those  who  had  toiled  all  day, 
had  to  guard,  by  turns,  the  camp  and  the 
horses,  all  night.  Frequently  one  third  of 
the  whole  party  were  on  guard  at  once; 
and  nothing  but  this  vigilance  saved  us 
from  attack.      We    were    constantly  dog- 

Sid  by  bands,  and  even  whole  tribes  of 
e  marauders;  and  although  Tabeau 
was  killed,  and  our  camp  infested  and 
insulted  by  nome,  while  swarms  of  them 
remained  on  the  hills  and  mountain  sides, 
there  was  manifestly  a  consultation  and  cal- 
culation going  on,  to  decide  the  question  of 
attacking  us.  Having  reached  the  resting 
place  of  the  Vegas  de  Santa  Clara,  we  had 
complete  relief  from  the  heat  and  privations 
of  the  desert,  and  some  relaxation  from  the 
■eterity  of  camp  duty.     Some  relaxation, 


and  relaxation  only — for  camp  gua/Js,  horsa 
guards,  and  scouts,  are  indispensable  fron 
the  timn  of  leaving  the  frontiers  of  Missouri 
until  we  return  to  them. 

After  w8  left  the  Vegas,  we  had  the  grati. 
fication  to  be  joined  by  the  famous  huntet 
and  trapper,  Mr.  Joseph  Walker,  whom  I 
have  before  mentioned,  and  who  now  be- 
came our  guide.  He  had  left  California 
with  the  great  caravan  ;  and  perceiving, 
from  the  signs  along  the  trail,  that  there 
was  a  party  of  whites  ahead,  which  he 
judged  to  be  mine,  he  detached  himself 
from  the  caravan,  with  eight  men,  (Ameri- 
cans,) and  ran  the  gauntlet  of  the  deser'. 
robbeis,  killing  two,  and  getting  some  of  th< 
horses  wounded,  and  succeeded  in  overta- 
king us.  Nothing  but  his  great  knowledge 
of  the  country,  great  courage  and  presence 
of  mind,  and  good  rifles,  could  have  brought 
him  safe  from  such  a  perilous  enterprise. 

May  13. — We  remained  one  day  at  this 
noted  place  of  rest  and  refreshment ;  and, 
resuming  our  progress  in  a  northeastwardly 
direction,  we  descended  into  a  broad  valley, 
the  water  of  which  is  tributary  to  Sevier 
lake.  The  next  day  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  Wah-satch  range  of  mountains  on  the 
right,  white  with  snow,  and  here  forming 
the  southeast  part  of  the  Great  Basin. 
Sevier  lake,  upon  the  waters  of  which  we 
now  were,  belonged  to  the  system  of  lakes 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Basin — of  which, 
the  Great  Salt  lake,  a;<d  its  southern  limb, 
the  Utah  lake,  were  the  principal — towards 
the  region  of  which  we  were  now  approach- 
ing. We  travelled  for  several  days  in  this 
direction,  within  the  rim  of  the  Great  Basil;, 
crossing  little  streams  which  bore  to  the  left 
for  Sevier  lake  ;  and  plainly  seeing,  by  the 
changed  aspect  of  the  country,  that  we  were 
entirely  clear  of  the  desert,  and  approaching 
the  regions  which  apper'ained  to  the  sys- 
tem of  the  Rocky  mountains.  We  met,  in 
this  traverse,  a  few  mounted  Utah  Indians, 
in  advance  of  their  main  body,  watching  the 
approach  of  the  great  caravan. 

May  16. — We  reached  a  small  salt  lake, 
about  seven  miles  long  and  one  broad,  at  the 
northern  extremity  of  which  we  encamped 
for  the  night.  This  little  lake,  which  well 
merits  its  characteristic  name,  lies  imme- 
diately at  the  base  of  the  Wah-satch  range, 
aud  nearly  opposite  a  gap  in  that  chain  of 
mountains  through  which  the  Spanish  trail 
passes  ;  aud  which,  again  falling  upon  the 
waters  of  the  Colorado,  and  crossing  that 
river,  proceeds  over  a  mountainous  country 
to  Santa  Fe. 

May  17. — After  440  miles  of  travelling 
on  a  trail,  which  served  for  a  road,  we  agaia 
found  ourselves  under  the  necessity  of  ex- 
ploring a  track  through  the  wildernest. 
The   Spanish   trail   had  borno  oiF  to  tiM 


[1844. 

imp  gua/Js,  hoTM 
dispensable  from 
ntiers  of  Missouii 

we  had  the  grati. 
le  famous  hunter 
Walker,  whom  I 
,nd  who  now  be- 
id  left  California 
;  and  perceiving, 
I  trail,  that  there 
ahead,  which  he 
detached  himself 
[ht  men,  (Araeri- 
tlet  of  the  deser'. 
etting  some  of  tht 
«eded  in  overta- 
I  great  knowledge 
ige  and  presence 
9uld  have  brought 
0U3  enterprise. 
1  one  day  at  this 
efreshment ;  and, 
El  northeastwardly 
to  a  broad  valley, 
ibutary  to  Sevier 
came  in  sight  of 
mountains  on  tha 
ind  here  forming 
lie  Great  Basin. 
ters  of  which  we 
}  system  of  lakes 

Basin — of  which, 
its  southern  limb, 
irincipal — towards 
»re  now  approach- 
veral  days  in  this 
f  the  Great  Basil;, 
ich  bore  to  the  left 
nly  seeing,  by  the 
ntry,  that  we  were 
t,  and  approaching 
-iined  to  the  sys- 
ins.  W«  met,  in 
ited  Utah  Indians, 
tody,  watching  the 
ivan. 

a  small  salt  lake, 
d  one  broad,  at  the 
lich  we  encamped 
I  lake,  which  well 
name,  lies  imme- 
Wah-satch  range, 
)  in  that  chain  of 

the  Spanish  trail 
1  falling  upon  the 
and  crossing  that 
luntainous  country 

nilcs  of  travelling 
>r  a  road,  we  agaia 
6  necessity  of  ex- 
L  the  wildernesa. 
borno  off  to  the 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


16f 


iOntheast,  cruuing  the  Wah-aatoh  range. 
Oar  oourae  led  to  the  noithcaat,  along  the 
/(Mt  of  that  range,  and  leaving  it  on  the 
right.  The  mountain  presented  itself  to  us 
uder  the  form  of  several  ridges,  rising  one 
above  the  other,  rooky,  and  wooded  with 
pine  and  cedar ;  the  last  ridge  covered  with 
IDOW.  Sevier  river,  flowing  northwardly  to 
the  lake  of  the  same  name,  collects  its  prin- 
oipal  waters  from  this  section  of  the  Wah- 
aatch  chain.  We  had  now  entered  a  regfon 
of  great  pastoral  promise,  abounding  with 
fine  streams,  the  rich  bunch  grass,  soil  that 
would  produce  wheat,  and  indigenous  flax 
growing  as  if  it  had  been  sown.  Consistent 
with  the  general  character  of  its  bordering 
mountains,  this  fertility  of  soil  and  vegeta- 
tion does  not  extend  far  mto  the  Great 
Basin.  Mr.  Joseph  Walker,  our  guide,  and 
who  has  more  knowledge  of  these  parts  than 
any  man  I  know,  informed  me  that  all  the 
country  to  the  left  was  unknown  to  him, 
and  that  even  the  Digger  tribes,  which  fre- 
quented Lake  Sevier,  could  tell  him  nothing 
about  it. 

May  20.— We  met  a  band  of  Utah  In- 
dians, headed  by  a  well-known  chief,  who 
had  obtained  the  American  or  English 
name  of  Walker,  by  which  he  is  quoted 
and  well  known.  They  were  all  mounted, 
armed  with  rifles,  and  use  their  rifles  well. 
The  chief  had  a  fusee,  which  he  had  carried 
slung,  in  addition  to  his  rifle.  They  were 
iourneying  slowly  towards  the  Spanish  trail, 
to  levy  their  usual  tribute  upon  the  great 
Californian  caravan.  They  were  robbers 
of  a  higher  order  than  those  of  the  desert. 
They  conducted  their  depredations  with 
form,  and  under  the  color  of  trade  and  toll 
for  passing  through  their  country.  Instead 
of  attacking  and  killing,  they  affect  to  pur- 
flhase — taking  the  horses  they  like,  and  giv- 
ing something  nominal  in  return.  The 
chief  was  quite  civil  to  me.  He  was  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  his  namesake,  our 
Side,  who  made  my  name  known  to  him. 
e  knew  of  my  expedition  of  1842 ;  and, 
as  tokens  of  friendship,  and  proof  that  we 
had  met,  proposed  an  interchange  of  pres- 
ents. We  had  no  great  store  to  choose  out 
of;  so  he  gave  me  a  Mexican  blanket,  and 
I  gave  him  a  very  fnie  one  which  I  had  ob- 
tained at  Vancouver. 

May  23. — ^We  reached  Sevier  river — the 
main  tributary  of  the  lake  of  the  same  name 
-^which,  deflecting  from  its  northern  course, 
here  breaks  from  the  mountains  to  enter  the 
Jake.  It  was  really  a  fine  river,  from  eight 
to  twelve  feet  deep ;  and,  after  searching  in 
vain  for  a  fordable  place,  we  made  little 
boats  (or,  rather,  rafts)  out  of  bulrushes, 
and  ferried  across.  These  rafts  are  readily 
made,  and  give  a  good  conveyance  across  a 
river.     The  rushes  are  bound   in  bundles, 


and  tied  hard  ;  the  bundles  are  tied  dowi 
upon  poles,  as  close  us  they  can  be  preaaed, 
and  fashioned  like  a  boat,  in  being  broader 
in  the  middle  and  pointed  at  the  ends.  The 
rushes,  being  tubular  and  jointed,  are  light 
and  strong.  The  raft  swims  well,  and  is 
shoved  along  by  poles,  or  paddled,  or  pushed 
and  pulled  by  swimmers,  or  drawn  by  ropes. 
On  this  occasion,  we  used  ropes — one  at 
each  end — and  rapidly  drew  our  little  float 
backwards  and  forwards,  from  shore  to 
shore.  The  horses  swam.  At  our  place 
of  crossing,  which  was  the  most  northern 
point  of  its  bend,  the  latitude  was  39^  22' 
19".  The  banks  sustained  the  character 
for  fertility  and  vegetation  which  we  hau 
seen  for  some  days.  The  name  of  this 
river  and  lake  was  an  indication  of  our  ap- 

E roach  to  regions  of  which  our  people  had 
een  the  explorers.  It  was  probably  named 
after  some  American  trapper  or  hunter,  and 
was  the  first  American  name  we  had  met 
with  since  leaving  the  Columbia  river. 
From  the  Dalles  to  the  point  where  we 
turned  across  the  Sierra  Nevada,  near  1,000 
miles,  we  heard  Indian  names,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  distance  none ;  from 
Nueva  Helvetia  (Sacramento)  to  las  Vegas 
de  Santa  Clara,  about  1,000  more,  all  were 
Spanish ;  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Pa- 
cific, French  and  American  or  English 
were  intermixed ;  and  this  prevalence  of 
names  indicates  the  national  character  of 
the  first  explorers. 

We  had  here  the  misfortune  to  lose  one  of 
our  people,  Francois  Badeau,  who  had  been 
with  me  in  both  expeditions  ;  during  whioh 
he  had  always  been  one  of  my  most  faithful 
and  efficient  men.  He  was  killed  in  drawing 
towards  him  a  gun  by  the  muzzle  ;  the  ham- 
mer being  caught,  discharged  the  gun,  dri- 
ving the  ball  through  his  head.  We  buried 
him  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 

Crossing  the  next  day  a  slight  ridge  along 
the  river,  we  entered  a  handsome  mountain 
valley  covered  with  fine  grass,  and  directed 
our  course  towards  a  high  snowy  peak,  at 
the  foot  of  which  lay  the  Utah  lake.  On 
'our  right  was  a  bed  of  high  mountains,  their 
summits  covered  with  snow,  constituting  the 
dividing  ridge  between  the  Basin  waters 
and  those  of  the  Colorado.  At  noon  we  fell 
in  with  a  party  of  Utah  Indians  coming  out 
of  the  mountain,  and  in  the  afternoon  en- 
camped on  a  tributary  to  the  lake,  whioh  is 
separated  from  the  waters  of  the  Sevier  by 
very  slight  dividing  grounds. 

Early  the  next  day  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  lake ;  and,  as  we  descended  to  the 
broad  bottoms  of  the  Spanish  fork,  three 
horsemen  were  seen  galloping  towards  us, 
who  proved  to  be  Utah  Indians — scouts 
from  a  village,  which  was  encamped  neat 
the  mouth  of  the  river.     They  were  armed 


tit 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


IIBH 


with  rifles,  and  tlioir  horses  were  in  good 
ooiidition.  We  encamped  near  them,  on  the 
Spanish  fork,  wliich  is  one  of  the  principal 
tributarie'  in  tiie  lake.  Finding  the  Indians 
troubicMOino,  ami  desirous  to  remain  here  a 
day,  we  removed  the  next  morning  farther 
down  the  lake,  and  encamped  on  a  fertile 
bottom  near  the  foot  of  the  same  mountain- 
ous ridge  which  borders  'ho  Great  Salt 
lake,  and  along  which  wo  had  journeyed  the 
previous  September.  Here  the  principal 
plants  in  bloom  were  two,  whirh  were  re- 
markaljle  as  ullording  to  the  Snake  Indians 
— the  one  an  abundant  supply  of  food,  and 
the  other  the  must  useful  among  the  appli- 
cations which  they  use  for  wounds.  These 
were  the  kooyah  p  n,  growinj^  in  fields  of 
extraordinary  luxur..  "e,  and  convollo ria 
stellata,  which,  from  tho  experience  of  Mr. 
Walker,  is  the  best  remedial  plant  known 
among  those  Indians.  A  few  miles  below 
us  was  another  village  of  Indians,  from 
which  we  obtained  some  fish — among  them 
a  few  salmon  trout,  which  were  very  much 
inferior  in  size  to  those  along  the  Califor- 
nian  mountains.  The  season  for  taking 
them  liad  not  yet  arrived ;  but  the  Indians 
were  daily  expecting  them  to  come  up  out 
of  the  lake. 

We  had  now  accomplished  an  object  we 
had  in  view  when  leaving  the  Dalles  of  the 
Columbia  in  November  last :  we  had  reach- 
ed the  Utah  lake ;  but  by  a  route  very  dif- 
ferent from  what  we  had  intended,  and 
without  sufficient  time  remaining  to  make 
the  examinations  which  were  desired.  It 
is  a  lake  of  note  in  this  country,  under  the 
dominion  of  the  Utahs,  who  resort  to  it  for 
fish.  Its  greatest  breadth  is  about  15  miles, 
stretjohing  far  to  the  north,  narrowing  as  it 
goes,  and  connecting  with  the  Great  Salt 
feke.  This  is  the  report,  and  whic-''  I  be- 
heve  to  be  correct ;  but  it  is  fresh  water, 
while  the  other  is  not  only  salt,  but  a  satu- 
rated solution  of  salt ;  and  here  is  a  problem 
which  requires  to  be  solved.  It  is  almost 
entirely  surrounded  by  mountains,  walled  on 
the  north  and  east  by  a  high  and  snowy 
range,  which  supplies  to  it  a  fan  of  tributa- 
ry streams.  Among  these,  the  principal 
river  is  the  Ttm/><m-o^o^signifying  Rock 
river — a  name  which  the  rocky  grandeur  of 
its  scenery,  remarkable  even  la  this  coun- 
try of  rugged  mountains,  has  obtained  for  it 
from  the  Indians.  In  the  Utah  language, 
oe-wdh-be,  the  term  for  river,  when  cou- 
pled with  other  words  in  common  conversa- 
tion, is  usually  abbreviated  to  ogo  ;  timpan 
signifying  rock.  It  is  probable  that  this 
river  furnished  the  name  which  on  the  older 
maps  has  been  generally  applied  to  the 
Great  Salt  lake ;  but  for  this  I  have  prefer- 
red a  name  which  will  bfi  regarded  as  high- 
ly characteristic,  restricting  to  the  river  the 


descriptive  term  Timpan-ogo,  and  loaTing 
for  the  lake  into  which  it  flows  the  name  of 
the  people  who  reside  on  its  shores,  and  hj 
Which  it  is  known  throughout  the  country. 

The  volume  of  wator  afforded  by  the 
Timpan-ogo  is  probably  equal  to  that  of  the 
Sevier  river ;  and,  at  the  time  of  our  visit, 
there  was  only  one  place  in  the  lake  valley 
at  which  the  Spanish  fork  was  fordable  In 
the  cove  of  mountains  along  its  eastern 
shore,  the  lake  is  bordered  by  a  plain,  where 
the  soil  is  generally  good,  and  in  greater 
part  fertile  ;  watered  by  a  delta  of  prettily 
timbered  streams.  This  would  be  an  i.  • 
cellent  locality  for  stock  farms  ;  it  is  gener- 
ally covered  with  good  bunch  grass,  and 
would  abundantly  produce  the  ordinary 
grains. 

In  arriving  at  the  Utah  lake,  we  had  com- 
pleted an  immense  circuit  of  twelve  degrees 
diameter  north  and  south,  and  ten  degrees 
east  and  west ;  and  found  ourselves,  in  May, 
1844,  on  the  same  sheet  of  water  which  we 
had  left  in  September,  1843.  The  Utah  is 
the  southern  limb  of  the  Great  Salt  lake  ; 
and  thus  we  had  seen  that  remarkable  sheet 
of  water  both  at  its  northern  and  southern 
extremity,  and  were  able  to  fix  its  position 
at  the»40  two  points.  The  circuit  which  we 
had  made,  and  which  had  cost  us  eight 
months  of  time,  and  3,500  miles  of  trareU 
ling,  had  given  us  a  view  of  Oregon  and  of 
North  California  from  the  Rocky  mountaini 
to  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  of  the  two  princi- 
pal streams  which  form  bays  or  harbors  oo 
the  coast  of  that  sea.  Having  completed 
this  circuit,  and  being  now  about  to  turn 
the  back  upon  the  Pacific  slope  of  our  con- 
tinent, and  to  lecross  the  Rocky  mountains, 
it  is  natural  to  look  back  upon  our  footsteps, 
and  take  some  brief  view  of  the  leading 
features  and  general  structure  of  the  coun- 
try we  had  traversed .  These  are  peculiar  and 
striking,  and  differ  essentially  from  the  At- 
lantic side  of  our  country.  The  mountains 
all  are  higher,  more  numerous,  and  more 
distinctly  defined  in  their  ranges  and  direc- 
tions ;  and,  what  is  so  contrary  to  the  natu- 
ral order  of  such  formations,  one  of  these 
ranges,  which  is  near  the  coast,  (the  Sierra 
Nevada  and  the  Coast  Range,)  presents* 
higher  elevations  and  peaks  than  any  which 
are  to  be  found  in  the  Rocky  mountains 
themselves.  In  our  eight  months'  circuit, 
we  were  never  out  of  sight  of  snow ;  and 
the  Sierra  Nevada,  where  we  crossed  it, 
was  near  2,000  feet  higher  than  the  South 
Pass  in  the  Rocky  motmtains.  In  height, 
these  mountains  greatly  exceed  those  of  the 
Atlantic  side,  constantly  presenting  peaks 
which  enter  the  region  of  eternal  snow; 
and  some  of  them  volcanic,  and  in  a  ftt- 
quent  state  of  activity.     They  are  seen  U 


ri644 

jOf  and  loaviD* 
>ws  the  name  of 
s  shores,  and  bj 
ut  the  country, 
afforded  by  the 
lal  to  that  of  the 
me  of  our  Tisit, 

the  lake  valley 
waa  fordable.  In 
ong  its  eastern 
)y  a  plain,  where 

and  in  greater 
delta  of  prettily 
vould  be  an  «  • 
rms  ;  it  is  genet- 
unch  grass,  and 
!e    the    ordinary 


ike,  we  had  com- 
>f  twelve  degrees 
and  ten  degrees 
lurselves,  in  May, 
f  water  which  we 
3.  The  Utah  is 
Grreat  Salt  lake ; 
remarkable  sheet 
srn  and  southern 
to  fix  its  position 
circuit  which  we 
,d  cost  us  eight 
)  miles  of  travel- 
of  Oregon  and  of 
Rocky  mountain! 
)f  the  two  princi- 
iys  or  harbors  on 
laving  completed 
ow  about  to  turn 
slope  of  our  con- 
Rocky  mountains, 
ipon  our  footsteps, 
w  of  the  leading 
iture  of  the  coun- 
96  are  peculiar  and 
iallv  from  the  At- 
The  mountains 
fierous,  and  more 
ranges  and  direc- 
trary  to  the  natu- 
[ons,  one  of  these 
coast,  (the  Sierra 
Range,)  presents 
cs  than  any  which 
Rocky  mountains 
t  months'  circuit, 
jht  of  snow  ;  and 
re  we  crossed  it, 
jr  than  the  South 
:ains.  In  height, 
cceed  those  of  the 
presenting  peaks 
of  eternal  snow; 
lie,  and  in  a  fit- 
rhev  are  seen  •! 


1844/ 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


171 


Eeat  distances,  and  guide  the  traveller  in 
I  courses. 

The  course  and  elevation  of  these  ranges 
give  direction  to  the  rivers  and  character  to 
the  coast.  No  great  river  does,  or  c  in,  take 
its  rise  below  the  Cascade  and  Sierra  Ne- 
vada range  ;  tlio  distance  to  the  sea  is  too 
short  to  admit  of  it.  The  rivers  of  the  San 
Francisco  bay,  which  are  the  largest  after 
the  Columbia,  are  local  to  that  bay,  and 
lateral  to  the  coast,  having  their  sources 
about  on  a  line  with  the  Dalles  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, and  running  each  in  a  valley  of  its 
own,  between  Coast  range  and  the  Cascade 
and  Sierra  Nevada  range.  The  Columbia 
i«i  the  only  river  which  traverses  the  whole 
breadth  of  the  country,  breaking  through 
all  the  ranges,  and  entering  the  sea.  Draw- 
ing its  waters  from  a  section  of  ten  de- 
grees of  latitude  in  the  Rocky  mountains, 
which  are  collected  into  one  stream  by 
three  main  forks  (Lewis's,  Clark's,  and  the 
North  fork)  near  the  centre  of  the  Oregon 
valley,  this  great  river  thence  proceeds  by 
a  single  channel  to  the  sea,  while  its  three 
forks  lead  each  to  a  pass  in  the  mountains, 
which  opens  tlie  way  into  the  interior  of 
the  continent.  This  fact  in  relation  to  the 
rivers  of  this  region  gives  an  immense  val- 
ue to  the  Columbia.  Its  mouth  is  the  only 
inlet  and  outlet  to  and  from  the  sea ;  its 
three  forks  lead  to  the  passes  in  the  moun- 
tains ;  it  is  therefore  the  only  line  of  com- 
munication between  the  Pacific  and  the  in- 
terior of  North  America ;  and  all  operations 
of  war  or  commerce,  of  national  or  social 
intercourse,  must  be  conducted  upon  it. 
This  gives  it  a  value  beyond  estimation,  and 
would  involve  irreparable  injury  if  lost.  In 
this  unity  and  concentration  of  its  waters, 
the  Pacific  side  of  our  continent  differ:)  en- 
tirely from  the  Atlantic  side,  where  the 
waters  of  the  Alleghany  mountains  are  dis- 
persed into  many  rivers,  having  their  differ- 
ent entrances  into  the  sea,  and  opening 
many  lines  of  communication  with  the  in- 
terior. 

The  Pacific  coast  is  equally  different 
from  that  of  the  Atlantic.  The  coast  of 
the  Atlantic  is  low  and  open,  indented  with 
numerous  bays,  sound.*,  and  river  estuaries, 
accessible  everywhere,  and  opening  by  many 
channels  into  the  heart  of  the  country.  The 
Pacific  coast,  on  the  contrary,  is  high  and 
compact,  with  few  bays,  and  but  one  that 
opens  into  the  heart  of  the  country.  The 
immediate  coast  is  what  the  seamen  call 
iron  bound.  A  little  within,  it  is  skirted 
by  two  successive  ranges  of  mountains, 
standing  as  ramparts  between  the  sea  and 
the  interior  country  ;  and  to  get  through 
which,  there  is  but  one  gate,  and  that  nar- 
row and  easily  defended.  This  structure 
oi  the  coast,  backed  by  these  two  ranges  of 


mountains,  with  its  concentration  and  unity 
of  waters,  gives  to  the  country  an  iramerv* 
military  strength,  and  will  probably  render 
Oregon  the  most  impregnable  country  in 
'  "  world. 

Differing  so  much  from  the  Atlantic  sido 
of  uiir  'Continent,  in  coast,  mountains,  and 
rivers,  the  Pacific  side  differs  from  it  in 
another  most  rare  and  singular  feature — 
that  of  the  Great  interior  Basin,  of  which  I 
have  so  often  spoken,  and  the  wlioU;  form 
and  character  of  which  I  was  so  anxious  to 
ascertain.     Its  existence  is  vouched  for  by 
such  of  the  American  trader-^  and  hunters 
as  have  some  knowledge  oi  that  region ; 
the  structure  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range 
of  mountains  requires  it  to  be  there  ;  and 
my   own    observations    confirm    it.      Mr. 
Joseph  Walker,  who  is  so  well  acquainted 
in  those  parts,  informed  me  that,  from  the 
Great  Salt  lake  west,  there  was  a  succes- 
sion of  lakes  and   rivers   which  have  no 
outlet  to  the  sea,  nor  any  connection  with 
the  Columbia,  or  with  the  Colorado  of  the 
Gulf  of  California.     He  described  some 
of  these  lakes  as  being  large,  with  numerous 
streams,    and    even    considerable    rivers, 
falling  into  them.      In  fact,  all  concur  in 
the  general  report  of  these  interior  rivers 
and  lakes  ;  and,  for  want  of  understanding 
the  force  and  power  of  evaporation,  which 
so  soon  establishes  an  equilibrium  between 
the  loss  and  supply  of  waters,  the  fable  of 
whirlpools    and    subterraneous  outlets  has 
gained  belief,  as  the  only  imaginable  way 
of  carrying  off  the  waters  which  have  no 
visible  discharge.     The  structure  of   the 
country  would  require  this  formation  of  in- 
terior lakes  ;  for  the  waters  which  would 
collect  between  the  Rocky  mountains  and 
the  Sierra  Nevada,  not  being  able  to  cross 
this  formidable  barrier,  nor  to  get  to  the 
Columbia  or  the  Colorado,  must  naturally 
collect  into  reservoirs,  each  of  which  would 
have  its  little  system  of  streams  and  rivers 
to  supply  it.     This  would  be  the  natural 
effect ;  and  what  I  saw  went  to  confirm  it. 
The  Great  Salt   lake  is    a    formation   of 
this  kind,  and  quite  a  large  one ;  and  hav- 
ing many  streams,  v^nd  one  considerable 
river,   four   or  five   hundred    miles    long, 
falling  into  it.     This  lake  and  river  I  saw 
and  examined  myself;   and  also  saw  the 
Wah-satch  and  Bear  River  mountains  which 
enclose  the  waters  of  the  lake  on  the  east, 
and  constitute,  in  that  quarter,  the  rim  of 
the  Great  Basin.      Afterwaius,  along  the 
eastern  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  where 
we  travelled  for  forty-two  days,  I  saw  the 
line  of  lakes  and  rivers  which  lie  at  tke 
foot  of  that  Sierra ;  and  which  Sierra  ia 
the  western  rini  of  the   Basin.     In  going 
down  Lewis's  fork  and  the  main  Columbia, 
I  crossed  only  inferior  streams  coming  in 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844. 


Hi 


from  the  left,  such  as  could  draw  their 
vmt«r  front  a  short  dittanoe  onl^ ;  and  I 
dUn  saw  the  mountains  at  their  heads, 
white  with  snow  ;  which,  all  accounts  said, 
divided  the  waten  of  the  desert  from  those 
of  the  Columbia,  and  which  could  be  no 
other  than  the  range  of  mo  ntains  which 
form  fhe  rim  of  the  Basin  on  its  northern 
aide.  And  in  returning  from  California 
along  the  Spanish  trail,  as  far  as  the  head 
of  the  Santa  Clara  fork  of  the  Rio  Virgen, 
1  crossed  only  small  streams  making  their 
way  south  to  the  Colorado,  or  lost  in  sand — 
aa  the  Mo-hah-ve ;  while  to  the  left,  lofly 
aioantains,  their  summits  white  with  snow, 
were  often  visible,  and  which  must  have 
turned  water  to  the  north  as  well  as  tn  the 
•outh,  and  thus  constituted,  on  this  part, 
the  southern  rim  of  the  Basin.  At  the 
kead  of  the  Santa  Clara  fork,  and  in  the 
Vegas  de  Santa  Clara,  we  crossed  the 
ridge  which  parted  the  two  syBtcms  of 
waters.  We  entered  the  Basin  at  that 
point,  and  have  travelled  in  it  ever  since, 
having  its  southeastern  rim  (the  Wah-satch 
mountain)  on  the  right,  and  crossing  the 
streams  which  flow  down  into  it.  The  ex- 
istence of  the  Basin  is  therefore  an  estab- 
lished fact  in  my  mind  ;  its  extent  and  con- 
tents are  yet  to  be  better  ascertained.  It 
cannot  be  less  than  four  or  five  hundred 
miles  each  way,  and  must  lie  principally  in 
the  Alta  California  ;  the  demarcation  lati- 
tude of  42°  probably  cutting  a  segment 
from  the  north  part  of  the  rim.  Of  its  in- 
terior, but  little  is  known.  It  is  called  a 
desert,  and,  from  what  I  saw  of  it,  sterility 
may  be  its  prominent  characteristic ;  but 
where  there  is  so  much  water,  there  must 
be  some  oasis.  The  great  river,  and  the 
great  lake,  reported,  may  not  be  equal  to 
die  report;  but  where  there  is  so  much 
snow,  there  must  be  streams ;  and  where 
there  is  no  outlet,  there  must  be  lakes  to 
hold  the  accumulated  waters,  or  sands  to 
swallow  them  up.  In  this  eastern  part  of 
the  Basin,  containing  Sevier,  Utah,  and  the 
Great  Salt  lakes,  and  the  rivers  and  creeks 
falling  itito  them,  we  know  there  is  good 
soil  and  good  grass,  adapted  to  civilized 
settlements.  In  the  western  part,  on  Sal- 
mon Trout  river,  and  some  other  streams, 
the  same  remark  may  be  made. 

The  contents  of  this  Great  Basin  are  yet 
to  be  examined.  That  it  is  peopled,  we 
know ;  but  miserably  and  sparsely.  From 
all  that  I  heard  and  saw,  I  should  say  that 
humanity  here  appeared  in  its  lowest  form, 
and  in  its  most  elementary  state.  Dis- 
persed in  single  families;  without  fire-arms ; 
eating  seeds  and  insects ;  digging  roots, 
^and  hence  their  name,) — such  is  the  con- 
dition of  the  greater  part.  Others  are  a 
dsgree  higher,  and    live  in  communities 


upon  some  lake  or  river  that  supplisa  fish, 
and  from  which  they  repulse  the  miaerahio 
Digger.  The  rabbit  is  the  i  irgest  animal 
known  in  this  desert;  lis  fiob  aflfords  • 
little  moat;  and  their  bafr-'!!l^  f i>vf>ring  is 
made  o(  its  skins.  The  v  !'.  airu  is  tlisk 
only  wood,  and  here  it  ik  of  extraordi* 
nary  size — sometimes  a  foot  in  diamriler, 
and  six  or  eight  feet  high.  It  serves  for 
fuel,  for  building  material,  for  shelter  to  the 
rabbits,  and  for  some  sort  of  covering  for 
the  feet  and  legs  in  cold  weather.  Suob 
are  the  accounts  of  the  inhabitants  and  pro- 
ductions of  the  Great  Basin ;  and  which, 
though  imperfect,  must  have  some  founda- 
tion, and  excite  our  desire  to  know  the 
whole. 

The  whole  idea  of  such  a  desert,  and  such 
a  people,  is  a  novelty  in  our  country,  and 
excites  Asiatic,  not  American  ideas.  Into 
rior  basins,  with  their  own  systems  of  lakel 
and  rivers,  and  often  sterile,  are  common 
enough  in  Asia :  people  still  in  the  elemen- 
tary state  of  families,  living  in  deserts,  with 
no  other  occupation  than  the  mere  animal 
search  for  food,  may  still  be  seen  in  that 
ancient  quarter  of  the  globe  ;  but  in  Ameri- 
ca such  things  are  new  and  strange,  un- 
known and  unsuspected,  and  discredited 
when  related.  But  I  flatter  myself  thai 
what  is  discovered,  though  not  enough  t« 
satisfy  curiosity,  is  sufficient  to  excite  it,  and 
that  subsequent  explorations  will  complete 
what  has  been  commenced. 

This  account  of  the  Great  Basin,  it  will 
be  remembered,  belongs  to  the  Alta  Cali- 
fornia, and  has  no  application  to  Oregon, 
whose  capabilities  may  justify  a  separate 
remark.  Referring  to  my  journal  for  par- 
ticular descriptions,  and  for  sectional  boun- 
daries between  good  and  bad  districts,  I  can 
only  say,  in  general  and  comparative  terms, 
that,  in  that  branch  of  agriculture  which  im- 
plies the  cultivation  of  grains  and  staple 
crops,  it  would  be  inferior  to  the  Atlantic 
States,  though  many  parts  are  superior  for 
wheat ;  while  in  the  rearing  of  flocks  and 
herds  it  would  claim  a  high  place.  Its 
grazirtg  capabilities  are  great ;  and  even  in 
the  indigenous  grass  now  there,  an  element 
of  individual  and  mtional  wealth  may  be 
found.  In  faci,  the  valuable  grasses  begin 
within  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  the 
Missouri  frontier,  and  extend  to  the  Pacific 
ocean.  East  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  it  is 
the  short  curly  grass,  on  which  the  buffalo 
delight  to  feed,  (whence  its  name  of  buffalo^ 
and  which  is  still  good  when  dry  and  appa- 
rently dead.  West  of  those  mountains  it  is 
a  larger  growth,  in  clusters,  and  hence  called 
bunch  grass,  and  which  has  a  second  or  fall 
growth.  Plains  and  mountains  both  exhibit 
them  ;  and  I  have  seen  good  pasturage  at  an 
elevation  of  ten  thousand    feet.     In  thia 


(1844. 

it  suppliM  fi•l^ 
I  the  miMrilil* 

i  ir^at  animal 
fxi>V  aflfordi  a 
X^  rov»>ring ia 
K   'Atru  18  ihair 

of  extrtonH> 
ot  in  diamr'ier, 
It  aervea  for 
ir  shelter  to  the 
of  covering  for 
voather.  Suoh 
bitants  and  pro- 
lin ;  and  which, 

some  founda- 
e  to  know  the 

desert,  and  snoh 
iir  country,  and 
iin  ideas.  Inte 
lystems  of  lakel 
e,  are  common 
1  in  the  elemen- 

in  deserts,  with 
ie  mere  animal 
be  seen  in  that 
;  but  in  Ameri- 
nd strange,  un- 
and  di8credite4 
ter  myself  that 

not  enough  t« 
;  to  excite  it,  and 
is  will  complatt 

at  Basin,  it  will 
I  the  Alta  Cali- 
tion  to  Oregon, 
stify  a  separate 
journal  for  par- 
sectional  boan- 
d  districts,  I  oan 
nparative  terms, 
ulture  which  im- 
ains  and  staple 
to  the  Atlantic 
are  superior  for 
ig  of  flocks  and 
igh  place.  Its 
3X  ;  and  even  in 
lere,  an  element 
wealth  may  be 
e  grasses  biegin 
'ty  miles  of  the 
d  to  the  Pacific 
mountains,  it  ia 
liich  the  buflTalo 
lame  of  buffalo,) 
n  dry  and  app»- 
)  mountains  it  is 
md  hence  called 
a  second  or  fall 
lins  both  exhibit 
pasturage  at  ao 
feet.     In  this 


IM4.t 


CAPT,  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


1^ 


■poBtaneous  product  the  trading  or  traTelling 
earavans  can  find  subsistence  for  their  ani- 
mals ;  and  in  military  operations  any  num- 
ber of  cavalry  may  be  moved,  and  any  num- 
ber of  cattle  may  be  driven  ;  and  thus  men 
and  horses  he  supported  on  long  e.cpeditions, 
and  even  in  winter,  in  the  sheltered  situa- 
tions. 

Commercially,  the  value  of  the  Oregon 
country  must  be  great,  washed  as  it  is  by 
the  north  Pacific  ocean — fronting  Asia — 
producing  many  of  the  elements  of  com- 
merce— mild  and  healthy  in  its  climate — 
and  becoming,  as  it  naturally  will,  a  tho- 
roughfare for  the  East  India  and  China 
trade. 

Turning  our  faces  once  more  eastward, 
on  the  morning  of  the  27tli  wo  left  the  Utah 
lake,  and  continued  for  two  days  to  ascend 
the  Spanish  fork,  which  is  dispersed  in  nu- 
merous branches  among  very  rugged  moun- 
tains, which  aflford  few  passes,  and  render  a 
familiar  acquaintance  with  them  necessary 
to  the  traveller.  The  stream  can  scarcely 
be  said  to  have  a  valley,  the  mountains  rising 
often  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge  ;  but  a 
good  trail  facilitated  our  travelling,  and  there 
were  frequent  bottoms,  covered  with  excel- 
lent grass.  The  streams  are  prettily  and 
variously  wooded ;  and  everywhere  the 
mountain  shows  grass  and  timber. 

At  our  encampment  on  the  evening  of  the 
Sdth,  near  the  head  of  one  of  the  branches 
we  had  ascended,  strata  of  bituminous  lime- 
atone  were  displayed  in  an  escarpment  on  the 
river  bluffs,  in  which  were  contained  a  vari- 
ety of  fossil  shells  of  new  species. 

It  will  be  remembered,  that  in  crossing 
this  ridge  about  120  miles  to  the  northward 
Hi  August  last,  strata  of  fossiliferous  rock 
were  discovered,  which  have  been  referred 
to  the  oolitic  period  ;  it  is  probable  that 
these  rocks  also  belong  to  the  same  forma- 
tion. 

A  few  miles  from  this  encampment  we 
reached  the  bed  of  the  stream  ;  and  cross- 
ing, by  an  open  and  easy  pass,  the  dividing 
ridge  which  separates  the  waters  of  the 
Great  Basin  from  those  of  the  Colorado, 
we  reached  the  head  branches  of  one  of  its 
larger  tributaries,  which,  from  the  decided 
color  of  its  waters,  has  received  the  name 
of  White  river.  The  snows  of  the  moun- 
tains were  now  beginning  to  melt,  and  all 
the  little  rivulets  were  running  by  in  rivers, 
and  rapidly  becoming  difficult  to  ford.  Con- 
tinuing a  few  miles  up  a  branch  of  White 
river,  we  crossed  a  dividing  ridge  between 
its  waters  and  those  of  the  Uintah.  The 
approach  to  the  pass,  which  is  the  best 
known  to  Mr.  Walker,  was  somewhat  diffi- 
eolt  for  packs,  and  impracticable  for  wag- 
OMi — all  the  streams  being  shut  in  by  nar- 


row ravines,  and  the  narrow  trail  along  th« 
steep  hill  sides  allowing  the  passage  of  only 
one  animal  at  a  time.  From  the  summit  we 
had  a  fine  view  of  the  snowy  Bear  River 
range  ;  and  there  wore  still  remaining  boda 
of  snow  on  the  cold  sides  of  the  hills  near 
the  pasM.  Wc  descended  by  a  narrow  ra- 
vine, in  which  was  rapidly  gathered  a  little 
branch  of  the  Uintah,  and  halted  to  nuon 
about  1,500  feet  below  the  pass,  at  an  ele- 
vation, by  the  boiling  point,  of  6,000  feet 
above  the  sea. 

The  next  day  we  descended  along  the 
river,  and  about  noon  reached  a  point  where 
three  forks  come  together.  Fording  one  of 
these  with  some  difnculty,  wo  continued  up 
the  middle  branch,  which,  from  the  color  of 
its  waters,  is  named  the  Red  river.  The  few 
passes,  and  extremely  rugged  nature  of  the 
country,  give  to  it  great  strength,  and  secure 
the  Utahs  from  the  intrusion  of  their  ene- 
mies. Crossing  in  the  afternoon  a  some- 
what broken  iiighland,  covered  in  place* 
with  fine  grasucs,  and  with  cedar  on  tlie  hill 
sides,  wo  encamped  at  evening  on  another 
tributary  to  the  Uintah,  called  the  Duchesne 
fork.  The  water  was  very  clear,  the  stream 
not  being  yet  swollen  by  the  melting  snows  ; 
and  we  forded  it  without  any  difficulty.  It 
is  a  considerable  branch,  being  spread  out 
by  islands,  the  largest  arm  being  about  a 
hundred  feet  wide ;  and  the  name  it  bears 
is  probably  that  of  some  old  French  trap- 
per. 

The  next  day  we  continued  down  the 
river,  which  we  were  twice  obliged  to  cross ; 
and,  the  water  having  risen  during  the  night, 
it  was  almost  everywhere  too  deep  to  be 
forded.  After  travelling  about  sixteen 
miles,  we  encamped  again  on  the  left  bank. 

I  obtained  here  an  occultation  of  '  Scor- 
pii  at  the  dark  limb  of  the  moon,  which 
gives  for  the  longitude  of  the  place  112<> 
18'  30",  and  the  latitude  40°  18'  53 ". 

June  1. — We  left  to-day  the  Duchesne 
fork,  and,  after  traversing  a  broken  country 
for  about  sixteen  miles,  arrived  at  noon  at 
another  considerable  branch,  a  river  of  great 
velocity,  to  which  the  trappers  have  im- 
properly given  the  name  of  Lake  fork.  The 
name  applied  to  it  by  the  Indians  signifies 
great  swiftness,  and  is  the  same  which  they 
use  to  express  the  speed  of  a  racehorse. 
It  is  spread  out  in  various  channels  over 
several  hundred  yards,  and  is  everywhere 
too  deep  and  swift  to  be  forded.  At  this 
season  of  the  year,  there  is  an  uninterrupted 
noise  from  the  large  rocks  which  are  rolled 
along  the  bed.  After  infinite  difiUculty,  and 
the  delay  of  a  day,  we  succeeded  in  getting 
the  stream  bridged,  and  got  over  with  the 
loss  of  one  of  our  animals.  Continuing  our 
route  across  a  broken  country,  of  which  thft 
higher  parts  were  rocky  and  timbered  witk 


174 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844, 


cedar,  and  the  lower  parts  covered  with 

5 cod  grass,  we  reached,  on  the  afternoon  of 
le  3d,  the  Uintah  fort,  a  trading  post  be- 
longing to  Mr.  A.  Roubideau,  on  the  princi- 
pal fnrK  of  the  Uintah  river.  We  found  the 
stream  nearly  as  rapid  and  difficult  as  the 
Lake  fork,  divided  into  several  channels, 
which  were  too  broad  to  be  bridged.  With 
the  aid  of  guides  from  the  fort,  we  succeed- 
ed, with  very  great  difficulty,  in  fording  it ; 
and  encamped  near  the  fort,  which  is  situ- 
ated a  short  distance  above  the  junction  of 
two  branches  which  make  the  river. 

By  an  immersion  of  the  1st  satellite, 
(agreeing  well  with  the  result  of  the  occul- 
tation  observed  at  the  Duchesnti  fork,)  the 
longitude  of  the  post  is  109°  56'  42",  the 
latitude  40°  27'  45". 

It  has  a  motley  garrison  of  Canadian  and 
Spanish  en^ges  and  hunters,  with  the  usual 
namber  of  Indian  women.  We  obtained  a 
small  supply  of  sugar  and  coffee,  with  some 
dried  meat  and  a  cow,  which  was  a  very 
accept' ble  change  from  the  pinoli  on  which 
we  hau  subsisted  for  some  weeks  past.  I 
strengthened  my  party  at  this  place  by  the 
addition  of  Auguste  Archambeau,  an  ex- 
eellent  voyageur  and  hunter,  belonging  to 
thw  class  of  Carson  and  Godey. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  we  left  the 
fort*  and  the  Uintah  river,  and  continued 
cur  road  over  a  broken  country,  which  af- 
forded, however,  a  rich  addition  to  our  bo- 
tanical collection ;  and,  after  a  march  of 
25  miles,  were  again  checked  by  another 
stream,  called  Ashley's  fork,  where  we 
were  detained  until  noon  of  the  next  day. 

An  immersion  of  the  2d  satellite  gave  for 
this  place  a  longitude  of  109°  27'  07",  the 
latitude  by  observation  being  40°  28'  07". 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  we  suo- 
ceeded  in  finding  a  ford ;  and,  after  travel- 
ling fifteen  miles,  encamped  high  up  on  the 
mountain  side,  where  we  found  ej^ccllent 
and  abundant  grass,  which  we  had  nol  hith- 
erto seen.  A  new  species  of  elymus,  which 
had  a  purgative  and  weakening  effect  upon 
the  animals,  had  occurred  abundantly  since 
leaving  the  fort.  From  this  point,  by  ob- 
servation 7,300  feet  above  the  sea,  we  had 
a  view  of  the  Colorado  below,  shut  up 
amongst  rugged  mountains,  and  which  is 
the  recipient  of  all  the  streams  we  had  been 
crossing  since  we  passed  the  rim  of  the 
Great  Basin  at  the  head  of  the  Spanish 
fork. 

On  the  7th  we  had  a  pleasant  but  long 

*  This  fort  was  attacked  and  taken  by  a 
band  of  the  Utah  Indians  since  we  passed  it ; 
and  the  men  of  the  garrison  killed,  the  women 
carried  ofT  Mr.  Roubideau,  a  trader  of  St. 
Itfuis,  was  absent,  and  so  escaped  the  fate  of 
tkcnit 


day's  journey,  through  beautifiil  little  rtl* 
leys  and  a  high  moiuntain  country,  arriving 
about  evening  at  the  verge  of  a  steep  and 
rocky  ravine,  by  which  we  descended  to 
"  Brown's  hole."  This  is  a  place  well 
known  to  trappers  in  the  country,  where  the 
caiions  through  which  the  Colorado  runs  ex< 
pand  into  a  narrow  but  pretty  valley,  about 
sixteen  miles  in  length.  "The  river  was 
several  hundred  yards  in  breadth,  swollen, 
to  the  top  of  its  banks,  near  to  which  it  was 
in  many  places  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  deep. 
We  repaired  a  skin  boat  which  had  been 
purchased  at  the  fort,  and,  after  a  delay  of  a 
day,  reached  the  opposite  banks  with  much 
less  delay  than  had  been  encountered  on  the 
Uintah  waters.  According  to  information, 
the  lower  end  of  the  valley  is  the  most 
eastern  part  of  the  Colorado  ;  and  the  lati- 
tude of  our  encampment,  which  was  oppO' 
site  to  the  remains  of  an  old  fort  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river,  was  40°  46'  27",  and,  bj 
observation,  the  elevation  above  the  sea. 
5,150  feet.  The  bearing  to  the  entrance 
of  the  canon  below  was  south  20°  east. 
Here  the  river  enters  between  lofty  preci- 
pices of  red  rock,  and  the  country  below  i» 
said  to  assume  a  very  rugged  character ; 
the  river  and  its  afHuents  passing  through 
eaiions  which  forbid  all  access  to  the  water. 
This  sheltered  little  valley  was  formerly  a 
favorite  wintering  ground  for  the  trappers, 
as  it  aff<^rded  them  sufficient  pasturage  for 
their  animals,  and  the  surrounding  meun^ 
tains  are  well  stocked  with  game. 

We  surprised  a  ilo«k  of  mountain  sheep  as 
we  descended  to  the  river,  and  our  huntera 
killed  several.  The  bottoms  of  a  small 
stream  called  the  Vermilion  creek,  which 
enters  the  left  bank  of  the  river  a  short  dis- 
tance below  our  encampment,  were  covered 
abundantly  with  F.  vermicularis,  and  other 
chenopodiaceous  shrubs.  From  the  lower 
end  of  Brown's  hole  we  issued  by  a  remark- 
ably dry  caiion,  fifty  or  sixty  yards  wide, 
and  rising,  as  we  advanced,  to  '  e  height 
of  six  or  eight  hundred  feet.  lE..jing  from 
this,  and  crossing  a  small  green  valley,  we 
entered  another  rent  of  the  same  nature^ 
still  narrower  than  the  other,  the  rocks  on 
either  side  rising  in  nearly  vertical  precipi- 
ces perhaps  1,300  feet  in  height.  These 
pi  '^es  are  mentioned,  to  give  some  idea  of 
the  country  lower  down  on  the  Colorado- 
to  which  the  trappers  usually  apply  the 
name  of  a  canon  country.  The  caiion 
opened  upon  a  pond  of  water,  where  wc 
halted  to  noon.  Several  flocks  of  mountaia 
sheep  were  here  among  the  rocks,  which 
rung  with  volleys  of  small  arms.  In  the 
afternoon  we  entered  upon  an  ugly,  barren, 
and  broken  country,  corresponding  well  with 
that  we  had  traversed  a  few  degrees  north, 
on  the  same  side  of  the  Colorado.     The 


[1844 


1M4.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


ITi 


itifiil  little  ral* 
>untry,  arrlTing 
of  a  steep  and 
i  descended  to 
I  a  place  well 
intry,  where  th« 
>lorado  runs  ex< 
ty  valley,  about 
The  river  was 
ireadth,  swollen 
to  which  it  waa 
irenty  feet  deep, 
trhich  had  been 
fter  a  delay  of  a 
anks  with  muctt 
ountered  on  the 
to  information, 
sy  is  the  most 
9 ;  and  the  lati- 
rhich  was  oppo- 
I  fort  on  the  left 
46'  27",  and,  by 
above   the  sea. 
to  the  entrance 
south  20°  east, 
'een  lofty  preci- 
j&untry  below  i» 
rged  character ; 
passing  through 
3S8  to  the  water, 
was  formerly  a 
'or  the  trappers, 
nt  pasturage  for 
rounding  mtun^ 
game. 

ountain  sheep  aa 
and  our  hunters 
ms  of  a  small 

creek,  which 
iver  a  short  dis- 
it,  were  covered 
t/am,  and  other 
^rom  the  lower 
icd  by  a  remark- 
sty  yards  wide, 

to  '  e  height 
l£.,aing  from 
jreep  valley,  we 
e  same  nature,. 
ler,  the  rocks  on 
vertical  precipi- 
height.  These 
ve  some  idea  of 

the  Colorado - 
ually  apply  the 
The  cailon 
ater,  where  we 
cks  of  mountaia 
e  rocks,  which 
1  arms.  In  the 
an  ugly,  barren, 
onding  well  with 

degrees  north, 
■Colorado.    The 


Termilion  creek  afforded  us  brackish  water 
ud  indifferent  grass  for  the  night. 

A  few  scattered  cedar  trees  were  the 
only  improvement  of  the  country  on  the  fol- 
lowing day ;  and  at  a  little  spring  of  bad 
water,  where  we  halted  to  noon,  we  had  not 
even  the  shelter  of  these  from  the  hot  rays 
of  the  sun.  At  night  we  encamped  in  a  fine 
grove  of  cotton- wood  trees,  on  the  banks  of 
die  Elk  Head  river,  the  principal  fork  of 
the  Yampah  river,  commonly  called  by  the 
trappers  the  Bear  river.  We  made  here  a 
very  strong  coral  and  fort,  and  formed  the 
camp  into  vigilant  guards.  The  country  we 
were  now  entering  is  constantly  infested  by 
war  parties  of  the  Sioux  and  other  Indians, 
and  IS  considered  among  the  most  dangerous 
war  grounds  in  the  Rocky  mountains ;  par- 
ties of  whites  having  been  repeatedly  de- 
feated on  this  river. 

On  the  llth  we  continued  up  the  river, 
which  is  a  considerable  stream,  fifty  to  a 
hundred  yards  in  width,  handsomely  and 
eontinuously  wooded  with  groves  of  the 
narrow-leaved  cotton-wood,  (pomtlus  an- 
gustifolia;)  with  these  were  thickets  of 
willow  and  grain  du  hauf.  The  character- 
istic plant  along  the  river  is  F.  vermicula' 
ris,  which  generally  covers  the  bottoms; 
mingled  with  this,  are  saline  shrubs  and  ar- 
temisia.  The  new  variety  of  grass  which 
we  had  seen  on  leaving  the  Uintah  fort  had 
now  disappeared.  The  country  on  either 
side  was  sandy  and  poor,  scantily  wooded 
with  cedars,  but  the  river  bottoms  afford- 
ed good  pasture.  Three  antelopes  were 
killed  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  encamped  a 
little  below  a  branch  of  the  river,  called  St. 
Vrain's  fork.  A  few  miles  above  was  the 
tert  at  which  Frapp's  party  had  been  de- 
feated two  years  since  ;  and  we  passed  dur- 
ing the  day  a  place  where  Carson  had  been 
fired  upon  so  close  that  one  of  the  men  had 
five  bullets  through  his  body.  Leaving 
this  river  the  next  morning,  we  took  oui' 
way  across  the  hills,  where  every  hollow 
had  a  spring  of  running  water,  with  good 
grass. 

Yesverday  and  to-day  we  have  had  before 
enr  eyes  the  high  mountains  which  divide 
the  Pacific  from  the  Mississippi  waters ; 
and  entering  here  among  the  lower  spurs, 
er  foot  hills  of  the  range,  the  face  of  the 
country  began  to  improve  with  a  magical 
rapidity.  Not  only  the  river  bottoms,  but 
the  hills,  were  covered  with  grass ;  and 
among  the  usual  varied  flora  of  the  moun- 
tain region,  these  were  occasionally  blue 
with  the  showy  bloom  of  a  lupinus.  In  the 
course  oi  the  morning  we  had  the  first  glad 
view  of  buffalo,  and  welcomed  the  appear- 
ance of  two  old  bulls  with  as  much  joy  as  if 
they  had  been  messengers  from  home  ;  and 
wben  we  descended  to  noon  on  St.  Vrain's 


fork,  an  affluent  of  Green  river,  the  hueten 
brought  in  mountain  sheep  and  the  meat  of 
two  fat  bulls.  Fresh  entrails  in  the  river 
showed  us  that  there  were  Indians  above ; 
and,  at  evijning,  judging  it  unsafe  to  encamp 
in  the  bottoms,  which  were  wooded  only  with 
willow  thickets,  we  ascended  to  the  spun 
above,  and  forted  strongly  in  a  small  aspen 
grove,  nea  ■  to  which  was  a  spring  of  cold 
water.  Tiie  hunters  killed  two  fine  cows 
near  the  camp.  A  band  of  elk  broke  out  of 
a  neighboring  grove  j  antelopes  were  run- 
ning over  the  hills;  and  on  the  opposite 
river  plains,  herds  of  buffalo  were  raising 
clouds  of  dust.  The  country  here  appearea 
more  variously  stocked  with  game  than  any 
part  of  the  Rocky  mouM  .  -  ve  had  visit- 
ed ;  and  its  abundance  is  0Wi.ig  to  the  ex- 
cellent pasturage,  and  its  dangerous  char- 
acter as  a  war  ground. 

June  13. — There  was  snow  here  near 
our  mountain  camp,  and  the  morning  wae 
beautiful  and  cool.  Leaving  St.  VraiB'e 
fork,  we  took  our  way  directly  towards  tha 
summit  of  the  dividing  ridge.  The  bot- 
toms of  the  streams  and  level  places  were 
wooded  with  aspens ;  and  as  we  neared.  the 
summit,  we  entered  again  the  piny  region. 
We  had  a  delightful  morning's  ride,  the 
ground  affording  us  an  excellent  bridle  path, 
and  reached  the  summit  towards  midday,  at 
an  elevation  of  8,000  feet.  With  joy  and 
exultation  we  saw  ourselves  once  more  on 
the  top  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  beheld 
a  little  stream  taking  its  course  towards  the 
rising  sun.  It  was  an  affluent  of  the  Platte, 
called  Pullam's  fork,  and  we  descended  to 
noon  upon  it.  It  is  a  pretty  stream,  twenty 
yards  broad,  and  bears  the  name  of  a  trap- 
per who,  some  years  since,  was  killed  here 
by  the  Gros  Ventre  Indians. 

Issuing  from  the  pines  in  the  afternoon, 
we  saw  spread  out  before  us  the  valley  oi 
the  Platte,  with  the  pass  of  the  Medicine 
Butte  beyond,  and  some  of  the  Sweet  Water 
mountain.:. ;  but  a  smoky  haziness  in  the  air 
entirely  obscured  the  Wind  River  chain. 

We  were  now  about  two  degrees  south  of 
the  South  Pass,  and  our  course  home  would 
have  been  eastwardly  ;  but  that  would  have 
taken  us  over  ground  already  examined, 
and  therefore  without  the  interest  wliich 
would  excite  curiosity.  Southwardly  there 
were  objects  worthy  to  be  explored,  to  v/it : 
the  approximation  of  the  head  waters  of 
three  different  rivers — the  Platte,  the  Ar- 
kansas, and  the  Grand  River  fork  of  the  Rio 
Colorado  of  the  gulf  of  California ;  the  Pass- 
es at  the  heads  of  these  rivers ;  and  the 
three  remarkable  mountain  coves,  called 
Parks,  in  which  they  took  their  rise.  One 
of  these  Parks  was,  of  course,  on  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  dividing  ridge ;  and  a  vieit 
to  it  would  require  us  once  more  to  crose 


m 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844. 


the  summit  of  the  Rocky  mountains  to  the 
west,  and  then  to  recross  to  the  east ; 
making,  in  all,  with  the  transit  we  had  just 
accomplished}  three  crossings  of  that  moun- 
tain in  this  section  of  its  course.  But,  no 
matter.  The  coves,  the  heads  of  the  rivers, 
the  approximation  of  their  waters,  the  prac- 
ticability of  the  mountain  passes,  and  the 
locality  of  the  three  Parks,  were  all  ob- 
jects of  interest,  and,  although  well  known 
to  hunters  and  trappers,  were  unknown  to 
science  and  to  history.  We  therefore 
changed  our  course,  and  turned  up  the  val- 
ley of  the  Platte  instead  of  going  down  it. 

Wo  crossed  several  small  affluents,  and 
again  made  a  fortified  camp  in  a  grove. 
The  country  had  now  become  very  beauti- 
ful— rich  in  water,  grass,  and  game  ;  and  to 
these  were  added  the  charm  of  scenery  and 
pleasant  weather. 

June  14. — Our  route  this  morning  lay 
along  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  over  the 
long  low  spurs  which  sloped  gradually  down 
to  the  river,  forming  the  broad  valley  of  the 
Platts.  The  country  is  beautifully  watered. 
In  almost  every  hollow  ran  a  clear,  cool 
mountain  stream  ;  and  in  the  course  of  the 
morning  we  crossed  seventeen,  several  of 
them  being  large  creeks,  forty  to  fifty  feet 
wide,  with  a  swift  current,  and  tolerably 
deep.  These  were  variously  wooded  with 
groves  of  aspen  and  cotton-wood,  with  wil- 
low, cherry,  and  other  shrubby  trees.  Buf- 
falo, antelope,  and  elk,  were  frequent  dur- 
ing the  day  ;  and,  in  their  abundance,  the 
latter  sometimes  reminded  us  slightly  of 
the  Sacramento  valley. 

We  halted  at  noon  on  Potter's  fork — a 
clear  and  swift  stream,  forty  yards  wide, 
and  in  many  places  deep  enough  to  swim 
our  animals  ;  and  in  the  evening  encamped 
on  a  pretty  stream,  where  there  were  sever- 
al beaver  dams,  and  many  trees  recently  cut 
down  by  the  beaver.  We  gave  to  this  the 
name  of  Beaver  Dam  creek,  as  now  they 
are  becoming  sufficiently  rare  to  distinguish 
by  their  name  the  streams  on  which  they 
are  found.  In  this  mountain  they  occurred 
more  abundantly  than  elsewhere  in  all  our 
journey,  in  which  their  vestiges  had  been 
scarcely  seen. 

The  next  day  we  continued  our  journey 
up  the  valley,  the  country  presenting  much 
the  same  appearance,  except  that  the  grass 
was  more  scanty  on  the  ridges,  over  which 
was  spread  a  scrubby  growth  of  sage ;  but 
still  the  bottoms  of  the  creeks  were  broad, 
and  afforded  good  pasture  grounds.  We 
had  an  animated  chase  after  a  grizzly  bear 
this  morning,  which  we  tried  to  lasso.  Fu- 
entes  threw  the  lasso  upon  his  neck,  but  it 
slipped  oA',  and  he  escaped  into  tbs  dense 
thickets  of  the  creek,  into  which  we  did  not 
like  to  venture.     Our  course  in  the  after- 


noon brought  us  to  the  main  Platte  river, 
here  a  handsome  stream,  with  a  uniform 
breadth  of  seventy  yards,  except  where 
widened  by  frequent  islands.  It  was  appa- 
rently deep,  with  a  moderate  current,  anj 
wooded  with  groves  of  large  willow. 

The  valley  narrowed  as  we  ascended,  and 
presently  degenerated  into  a  gorge,  through 
which  the  river  passed  as  through  a  gate. 
We  entered  it,  and  found  ourselves  in  the 
New  Park — a  beautiful  circular  valley  ol 
thirty  miles  diameter,  walled  in  all  round 
with  snowy  mountains,  rich  with  water  ano 
with  grass,  fringed  with  pine  on  the  moun- 
tain sides  below  the  snow  line,  and  a  para- 
dise to  all  grazing  animals.  The  Indian 
name  for  it  signifies  "  cow  lodge,"  of  which 
our  own  may  be  considered  a  translation  -. 
the  enclosure,  the  grass,  the  water,  and  thfl 
herds  of  buffalo  roaming  over  it,  naturally 
presenting  the  idea  of  a  park.  We  halted 
for  the  night  just  within  the  gate,  and  ex- 
pected, as  usual,  to  see  herds  of  buffalo ; 
but  an  Arapahoe  village  had  been  before 
us,  and  not  one  was  to  be  seen.  Latitude 
of  the  encampment  40°  52'  44".  Elevation 
by  the  boiling  point  7,720  feet. 

It  is  from  this  elevated  cove,  and  from  the 
gorges  of  the  surrounding  mountains,  and 
some  lakes  within  their  bosoms,  that  the 
Great  Platte  river  collects  its  first  waters, 
and  assumes  its  first  form  ;  and  certainly  no 
river  could  ask  a  more  beautiful  origin. 

June  16. — In  the  morning  we  pursued 
our  way  through  the  Park,  following  a 
principal  branch  of  the  Platte,  and  crossing, 
among  many  smaller  ones,  a  bold  stream, 
scarcely  fordable,  called  Lodge  Pole  fork, 
and  which  issues  from  a  lake  in  the  moun- 
tains on  the  right,  ten  miles  long.  In  the 
evening  we  encamped  on  a  small  stream, 
near  the  upper  end  of  the  Park.  Latitude 
of  the  camp  40°  33'  22". 

June  17. — We  continued  our  way  imong 
the  waters  of  the  Park,  over  the  foot  hilh 
of  the  bordering  mountains,  where  we 
found  good  pasturage,  and  surprised  and 
killed  some  buffalo.  We  fell  into  a  broad 
and  excellent  trail,  made  by  buffalo,  where 
a  wagon  would  pass  with  ease  ;  and,  in  the 
course  of  the  morning,  we  crossed  the 
summit  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  through  a 
paoi  .vhich  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
we  had  evei  seen.  The  trail  led  ameng 
the  aspens,  through  open  grounds,  richly 
covered  with  grass,  and  carried  us  over  an 
elevation  of  about  9,000  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea. 

The  country  appeared  to  great  advantage 
in  the  delightful  summer  weather  of  the 
mountains,  which  we  still  continued  to  en- 
joy. Descending  from  the  pass,  we  found 
ourselves  again  on  the  western  waters ;  and 
halted  to  noon  on  the  edge  of  another 


[1844. 

1  Platte  river, 
rith  a  Uiiifotm 
except  where 
It  was  appa- 
te  current,  ani 
willow. 

}  ascended, and 
gorge,  through 
through  a  gate. 
irseWes  in  the 
sular  valley  ol 
id  in  all  round 
with  water  ano 
le  on  the  moun- 
ine,  and  a  para- 
.  The  Indian 
>dg-e,"  of  which 
i  a  translation ; 

water,  and  th« 
ver  it,  naturally 
•k.  We  halted 
le  gate,  and  ex- 
erds  of  buffalo ; 
ad  been  before 
seen.  Latitude 
U".  Elevation 
3et. 
rve,  and  from  the 

mountains,  and 
osoms,  that  the 
1  its  first  waters, 

and  certainly  no 
itiful  origin, 
ing  we  pursued 
rk,  following  a 
te,  and  crossing, 
,  a  bold  stream, 
,odge  Pole  fork, 
,ke  in  the  inoun- 
es  long.     In  the 

a  small  stream, 

Park.     Latitude 

1  our  way  among 
rer  the  foot  hilh 
ains,  where  we 
id  surprised  and 

fell  into  a  broad 
by  buffalo,  where 
3ase  ;  and,  in  the 
we  crossed  the 
ntains,  through  a 
e  most  beautiful 

trail  led  am«n£ 

grounds,  richly 

arried  us  over  an 

et  above  the  level 

0  great  advantage 
weather  of  th« 
continued  to  en- 
le  pass,  we  found 
stern  waters ;  and 
edge  of  anothet 


IM4.] 


CAPT.  PREMONTS  NARRATIVE. 


an 


BKrantain  valley,  called  the  Old  Park,  in 
which  is  formed  Grand  river,  one  of  the 

Strincipal  branches  of  the  Colorado  of  Cali- 
bmia.  We  were  now  moving  with  some 
oaution,  as,  from  the  trail,  we  found  the 
Arapahoe  vUlage  had  also  passed  this  way. 
As  we  were  coming  out  of  their  enemy's 
eountry,  and  this  was  a  war  ground,  we 
were  desirous  to  avoid  them.  After  a  long 
afternoon's  march,  we  halted  at  night  on  a 
small  creek,  tributary  to  a  main  fork  of 
Grand  river,  which  ran  through  this  portion 
of  the  valley.  The  appearance  of  the 
country  in  the  Old  Park  is  interesting, 
though  of  a  different  character  from  the 
New ;  instead  of  being  a  comparative  plain, 
it  is  more  or  less  broken  into  hills,  and  sur- 
rounded by  the  high  mountains,  timbered 
on  the  lower  parts  with  quaking  asp  and 
pines. 

June  18. — Our  scouts,  who  were  as  usual 
ahead,  made  from  a  butte  this  morning  the 
signal  of  Indians,  and  we  rode  up  in  time  to 
meet  a  party  of  about  30  Arapahoes.  They 
were  men  and  women  going  into  the  hills — 
the  men  for  game,  the  women  for  roots — 
and  informed  us  that  the  village  was  en- 
camped a  few  miles  above,  on  the  main 
fork  of  Grand  river,  which  passes  through 
the  midst  of  the  valley.  I  made  them  the 
usual  presents  ;  but  they  appeared  disposed 
to  be  unfriendly,  and  galloped  back  at  speed 
to  the  village.  Knowing  that  we  had 
trouble  to  expect,  I  descended  immediately 
into  the  bottoms  of  Grand  river,  which 
were  overflowed  in  places,  the  river  being 
np,  and  made  the  best  encampment  the 
ground  afforded.  We  had  no  time  to  build 
a  fort,  but  found  an  open  place  among  the 
willows,  which  was  defended  by  the  river 
on  one  side  and  the  overflowed  bottoms  on 
the  other.  We  had  scarcely  Tnade  our  few 
preparations,  when  about  200  of  them  ap- 
peared on  the  verge  of  the  bottom,  mount- 
ed, painted,  and  armed  for  war.  We 
planted  the  American  flag  between  us ;  and  a 
short  parley  ended  in  a  truce,  with  some- 
thing more  than  the  usual  amount  of  pres- 
ents. About  20  Sioux  were  with  them — 
one  of  them  an  old  chief,  who  had  always 
been  friendly  to  the  whites.  He  informed 
me  that,  before  coming  down,  a  council 
had  been  held  at  the  village,  in  which  the 
greater  part  had  declared  for  attacking 
U8 — we  had  come  from  their  enemies,  to 
whom  we  had  doubtless  been  carrying  as- 
sistance in  arms  and  ammunition  ;  but  his 
own  party,  with  some  few  of  the  Arapahoes 
who  had  seen  us  the  previous  year  in  the 
plains,  opposed  it.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  it  is  customary  for  this  people  to  at- 
tack the  trading  parties  which  they  meet 
in  this  region,  considering  all  whom  they 
meet  on  the  western  side  of  the  mountains 
12 


to  be  their  enemies.  They  deceivdd  am 
into  the  belief  that  I  should  find  a  ford  «t 
their  village,  and  I  could  not  avoid  se- 
companying  them ;  but  put  several  sloughs 
between  us  and  their  village,  and  forted 
strongly  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  which 
was  everywhere  rapid  and  deep,  and  over 
a  hundred  yards  in  breadth.  The  camp 
was  generally  crowded  with  Indians;  and 
though  the  baggage  was  carefully  watched 
and  covered,  a  number  of  things  were 
stolen. 

The  next  morning  we  descended  the 
river  for  about  eight  miles,  and  halted  a 
short  distance  above  a  caiion,  through  which 
Grand  river  issues  from  the  Park.  Here 
it  was  smooth  and  deep,  150  yards  in 
breadth,  and  its  elevation  at  this  point 
6j700  feet.  A  frame  for  the  boat  being 
very  soon  made,  our  baggage  was  ferried 
across ;  the  horses,  in  the  mean  time,  swim- 
ming over.  A  southern  fork  of  Grand 
river  here  makes  its  junction,  nearly  op- 
posite to  the  branch  by  which  we  had  en- 
tered the  valley,  and  up  this  we  continued 
for  about  eight  miles  in  the  afternoon,  and 
encamped  in  a  bottom  on  the  left  bank, 
which  afforded  good  grass.  At  our  en- 
campment it  was  70  to  90  yards  in  breadth, 
sometimes  widened  by  islands,  and  separa- 
ted into  several  channels,  with  a  very  swif) 
current  and  bed  of  rolled  rock:?. 

On  the  20th  we  travelled  up  the  left  bank, 
with  the  prospect  of  a  bad  road,  the  trail 
here  taking  the  opposite  side ;  but  the 
stream  was  up,  and  nowhere  fordable.  A 
piny  ridge  of  mountains,  with  bare  rocky 
peaks,  was  on  our  right  all  the  day,  and  a 
snowy  mountain  appeared  ahead.  We 
crossed  many  foaming  torrents  with  rocky 
beds,  rushing  dowa  to  the  river ;  and  in  the 
evening  made  a  strong  fort  in  an  aspect 
grove.  The  vaJiey  had  already  become 
very  narrow,  shul  up  more  closely  in 
densely  timbered  mountains,  the  pines 
sweeping  down  the  vergo  of  the  bottoms. 
The  coq  ■■?■<■  prairie  {tetrao  europhasiantu) 
was  occasionally  seen  among  the  sage. 

We  saw  to-day  the  returning  trail  of  an 
Arapahoe  party  which  had  been  sent  from 
the  village  to  look  for  Utahs  in  the  Bayou 
Salade,  (South  Park ;)  and  it  being  probable 
that  they  would  visit  our  camp  with  the 
desire  to  return  on  horseback,  we  wore 
more  thr.n  usually  on  the  alert. 

Here  the  river  diminished  to  35  yards, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  number  of  aiSuents 
we  had  crossed,  was  still  a  large  stream, 
dashing  swiftly  by,  with  a  great  continuous 
fall,  and  not  yet  fordable.  We  had  a  de- 
lightful ride  along  a  good  trail  among  the 
fragrant  pines ;  and  the  appearance  of  bu& 
falo  in  great  numbers  indicated  that  there 
were  Indians  in  the  Bayou  Salade,  (South 


178 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


[1844 


! 


Park,)  by  whom  they  were  driven  out.  We 
halted  to  noon  under  the  shade  of  the  pines, 
and  the  weather  was  most  delightial.  Tlie 
country  was  literally  alive  with  buffalo  ; 
and  the  continued  eciio  of  the  hunter's 
rifles  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  for  a 
moment  made  me  uneasy,  thmking  perhaps 
they  were  engnrred  with  Indians  ;  but  in  a 
short  time  they  came  into  camp  with  the 
meat  of  seven  fat  cows. 

During  the  earlier  pan  of  the  day'.-:  ride, 
the  river  had  been  merely  a  narrow  -avine 
between  high  piny  mountains,  backed  on 
both  sides,  but  particularly  on  tiie  west,  by 
a  line  of  snowy  ridges ;  but,  after  several 
hours'  ride,  the  stream  opened  out  into  a 
valley  with  pleasant  bottoms.  In  the  after- 
noon the  river  forked  into  three  apparently 
equal  streams ;  broad  buffalo  trails  leading 
up  the  left  hand,  and  the  middle  branch,  in- 
dicating good  passes  over  the  mountains ; 
but  up  the  right-hand  branch,  (which,  in 
the  object  of  descending  from  the  mountain 
by  the  main  head  of  the  Arkansas,  I  was 
most  desirous  to  follow,)  there  was  no  sign 
of  a  buffalo  trace.  Apprehending  from  this 
reason,  and  the  character  of  the  mountains, 
which  are  known  to  be  extremely  rugged, 
that  the  right-hand  branch  led  to  no  pass,  I 
proceeded  up  the  middle  branch,  which 
formed  a  flat  yalley  bottom  between  timber- 
ed ridges  on  the  left  and  snowy  mountains 
on  llie  right,  terminating  in  large  buttes  of 
naked  rock.  The  trail  was  good,  and  the 
country  interesting ;  and  at  nightfall  we 
encamped  in  an  open  place  among  the  pines, 
where  we  built  a  strong  fort.  The  moun- 
tains exhibit  their  usual  varied  growth  of 
flowers,  and  at  this  place  I  noticed,  among 
others,  thermopsis  montana,  whose  bright 
yellow  color  makes  it  a  showy  plant.  This 
has  been  a  characteristic  in  many  parts  of 
the  country  since  reaching  the  Uintah 
waters.  With  fields  of  iris  were  aquilegia 
ccerulea,  violets,  esparcette,  and  straw- 
berries. 

At  dark,  we  perceived  a  fire  in  the  edge 
of  the  pines,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  val- 
ley. We  had  evidently  not  been  discovered, 
and,  at  the  report  of  a  gun,  and  the  blaze  of 
fresh  fuel  which  was  heaped  on  our  fires, 
those  of  the  strangers  were  instantly  ex- 
tinguished. In  the  morning,  they  were 
found  to  be  a  party  of  six  trappers,  who  had 
▼entured  out  among  the  mountains  after 
beaver.  They  informed  us  that  two  of  the 
number  with  which  they  had  started  had 
been  already  killed  by  the  Indians — one  of 
them  but  a  few  days  since — by  the  Arapa- 
hoes  we  had  lately  seen,  who  had  found 
him  alone  at  a  camp  on  this  river,  and  car- 
ried off  his  traps  and  animals.  As  they 
were  desirous  to  join  us,  the  hunters  return- 
td  with  them  to  their  encampment,  and  we 


continued  up  the  valley,  in  which  the  stream 
rapidly  -diminished,  breaking  into  small  trib> 
utaries — every  hollow  affording  water.  At 
our  noon  halt,  the  hunters  joined  us  with 
the  trappers.  While  preparing  to  start 
from  their  encampment,  they  found  them- 
selves suddenly  surrounded  by  a  party  of 
Arapahoes,  who  informed  them  that  their 
scouls  had  discovered  a  large  Utah  village 
in  the  Bayou  Salade,  (South  Park,)  and 
that  a  large  war  party,  consisting  of  almost 
every  man  in  the  village,  except  those  who 
were  too  old  to  go  to  war,  were  going  over 
to  attack  them.  The  main  body  had  as- 
cended the  left  fork  of  the  river,  which  af- 
forded a  better  pass  than  the  branch  we  were 
on  ;  and  this  party  had  followed  our  trail,  in 
order  that  we  might  add  our  force  to  theirs. 
Carson  informed  them  that  we  were  too  far 
ahead  to  turn  back,  but  would  join  them  in 
the  bayou  ;  and  the  Indians  went  off  appa- 
rently satisfied.  By  the  temperature  of 
boiling  water,  our  elevation  here  was  10,430 
feet ;  and  still  the  pine  forest  continued, 
and  grass  was  good. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  continuf  d  our  road — 
occasionally  through  open  pines,  with  a  very 
gradual  ascent.  We  surprised  a  herd  of 
buffalo,  enjoying  the  shade  at  a  small  lake 
among  the  pines ;  and  they  made  the  dry 
branches  crack,  as  they  broke  through  the 
woods.  In  a  r^de  of  about  three-quarters  of 
an  hour,  and  having  ascended  perhaps  800 
feet,  we  reached  the  summit  of  the  divid- 
ing RIDGE,  which  would  thus  have  an  esti- 
mated height  of  11,200  feet.  Here  the 
river  spreads  itself  into  small  branches  and 
springs,  heading  nearly  in  the  summit  of  the 
ridge,  which  is  very  narrow.  Immediately 
below  us  was  a  green  valley,  through  which 
ran  a  stream  ;  and  a  short  distance  opposite 
rose  snowy  mountains,  whose  summits  were 
formed  into  peaks  of  naked  rock.  We 
soon  afterwards  satisfied  ourselves  that  im- 
mediately beyond  these  mountains  was  tiie 
main  branch  of  the  Arkansas  river — most 
probably  heading  directly  with  the  little 
stream  below  us,  which  gathered  its  waters 
in  the  snowy  mountains  near  by.  Descrip- 
tions of  the  rugged  character  of  the  moun- 
tains around  the  head  of  the  Arkansas, 
which  their  appearance  amply  justified,  de- 
terred me  from  making  any  attempt  to  reach 
it,  which  would  have  involved  a  greater 
length  of  time  than  now  remained  at  my  dis- 
posal. 

In  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  we  de- 
scended from  the  sununit  of  the  Pass  into 
the  creek  below,  our  road  having  been  very 
much  controlled  and  interrupted  by  the  pines 
and  springs  on  the  mountain  side.  Turn- 
ing up  the  stream,  we  encamped  on  a  bot- 
tom of  good  grass  near  its  head,  whibh 
gathers  its  waters  in  the  dividing  crest  of  the 


! 


reipl 

the! 


[1844 

'hich  tlie  stream 
into  email  trib- 
ding  water.     At 
3  joined  us  with 
iparing   to   start 
ley  found  them- 
d  by  a  party  of 
them  that  their 
rge  Utah  village 
)uth   Park,)  and 
sisting  of  almost 
xcept  those  who 
were  going  over 
,in  body  had  as- 
!  river,  which  af- 
3  branch  we  were 
owed  our  trail,  in 
ir  force  to  theirs, 
wc  were  too  far 
uld  join  them  in 
is  went  off  appa- 
i   temperature  of 
i  here  was  10,43A 
forest  continued, 

itinund  our  road — 
pines,  with  a  very 
•prised  a  herd  of 
e  at  a  small  lake 
ley  made  the  dry 
roke  through  the 
t  three-quarters  of 
inded  perhaps  800 

MIT  OF  THE  DIVID- 

hus  have  an  esti- 
fieet.  Here  the 
tiall  branches  and 
the  summit  of  the 
ow.  Immediately 
ley,  through  which 
t  distance  opposite 
lose  summits  were 
laked  rock.  We 
ourselves  that  im- 
mountains  was  the 
ansas  river — most 
ly  with  the  little 
fathered  its  waters 
near  by.  Descrip- 
acter  of  the  raoun- 
of  the  Arkansas, 
imply  justified,  de- 
ny attempt  to  reach 
nvolved  a  greater 
emained  at  my  dis- 

'  an  hour,  we  de- 
t  of  the  Pass  into 
d  having  been  very 
rrupted  by  the  pines 
iitairi  side.  Turn- 
ncamped  on  a  bot- 
ir  its  head,  whibh 
iividing  crest  of  the 


1S44.] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


17t 


Rocky  mountains,  and,  according  to  the  best 
Infonnation  we  could  obtain,  separated  on'y 
by  the  rocky  wall  of  the  ridge  from  the  head 
of  the  main  Arkansas  river.  By  the  obser- 
rations  of  the  evening,  the  latitude  of  our 
encampm<int  was  390  20'  24",  and  south  of 
which,  therefore,  is  the  head  of  the  Arkan- 
sas river.  Tlie  stream  on  which  we  had 
encamped  is  the  head  o'"  either  the  Fontaine- 
qui-bouit,  a  branch  o'  the  Arkansas,  or  the 
remotest  head  of  i  .le  south  fork  of  the 
Platte  ;  as  whicii,  yo^  vill  find  it  laid  down 
on  the  map.  But  descending  it  only  through 
a  portion  of  its  course,  we  have  not  been 
able  to  settle  tliis  point  satisfactorily. 

In  the  evening,  a  band  of  buffalo  furnished 
a  little  excitement,  by  charging  through  the 

•CUJip. 

On  the  following  day,  we  descended  the 
stream  by  an  excellent  buffalo  trail,  along 
the  open  grassy  bottom  of  the  river.  On 
onr  right,  the  bayou  was  bordered  by  a 
mountainous  range,  crested  with  rocky  and 
naked  peaks  ;  and  below,  it  had  a  beautiful 
park-like  character  of  pretty  level  prairies, 
interspersed  among  low  spurs,  woodua 
openly  with  pine  and  quaking  asp,  contrast- 
ing well  with  the  denser  pines  which  swept 
arouiid  on  the  mountain  sides.  Descending 
always  ihe  valley  of  the  stream,  towards 
noon  we  descried  a  mounted  party  descend- 
ing the  point  of  a  spur,  and.  judging  them  to 
be  Arapahoes — who,  defeated  or  victorious, 
were  equally  dangerous  to  us,  and  with 
whom  a  fight  would  be  inevitable — we  hur- 
ried to  post  ourselves  as  strongly  as  possible 
on  some  willow  islands  in  the  river.  We 
had  scarcely  halted  when  they  arrived, 
proving  to  be  a  party  of  Utah  women,  who 
told  us  that  on  the  other  side  of  the  ridge 
their  village  was  fighting  with  the  Arapa- 
hoes. As  soon  as  they  had  given  us  this  in- 
formation, they  filled  the  air  witli  cries  and 
lamentations,  which  made  us  understand 
that  some  of  their  chiefs  had  been  killed. 

Extending  along  the  river,  directly  ahead 
of  us,  was  a  low  piny  ridge,  leaving  be- 
tween it  and  the  stream  a  small  open  bottom, 
on  which  the  Utahs  had  very  injudiciously 
placed  their  village,  which,  according  to  the 
women,  numbered  about  300  warriors,  i*  '■ 
vancing  in  the  cover  of  the  pines,  ihe  1 
pahoes,  about  daylight,  charged  into  cho 
kge,  driving  oflf  a  great  number  of  t.  .ix 
horses,  and  killing  four  men  ;  among  them, 
the  principal  chief  of  the  village.  They 
drove  the  horses  perhaps  a  nr.'.le  beyond  the 
Tillage,  to  the  end  of  a  hollow,  where  they 
had  previously  forted  at  the  edge  of  the 
pines.  Here  the  Utahs  had  instantly  at- 
tacked them  in  turn,  and,  according  to  the 
raport  of  the  women,  were  getting  rather 
the  beet  of  the  day.  The  women  pressed 
M  •agerly  to  join  with  their  people,  and 


would  immediately  have  provided  us  with 
the  best  horses  at  the  village  ;  but  it  was 
not  for  us  to  interfere  in  such  a  conflict. 
Neither  party  were  our  friends,  or  under  our 
protection  ;  and  each  was  ready  to  prey  up- 
on us  that  could.  But  we  could  not  help 
feeling  an  unusual  excitement  at  being  with- 
in a  few  hundred  yards  of  a  fight,  in  which 
500  men  were  closely  engaged,  and  hearing 
the  sharp  cracks  of  their  nf^es.  We  were 
in  a  bad  position,  and  suoject  to  be  attacked 
in  it.  Either  party  which  we  might  meet, 
victorious  or  defeateo,  was  certain  to  fall 
upon  us  ;  and,  gearing  up  immediately,  we 
kept  close  along  the  pines  of  the  ridge,  hav- 
ing it  between  us  and  th'^  village,  and  keep- 
ing the  scouts  on  the  summit,  to  give  us 
notice  of  the  approach  '"f  Indians.  As  we 
passed  by  the  '.  illage,  which  was  immedi- 
ately below  us,  horsemen  were  galloping  to 
and  fro,  and  groups  of  people  were  gathered 
around  those  who  were  wounded  and  dead, 
and  who  were  being  brought  in  from  the 
field.  We  continued  to  press  on,  and,  cross- 
i:ig  another  fork,  which  came  in  from  the 
right,  after  having  made  fifteen  miles  from 
the  village,  fortified  ourselves  strongly  in 
the  pines,  a  short  distance  from  the  river. 

During  the  afternoon.  Pike's  Peak  had 
been  plainly  in  view  before  us,  and,  from 
cur  encampment,  bore  N.  87°  E.  by  com- 
pass. This  was  a  familiar  object,  and  it 
had  for  us  the  face  of  an  old  friend.  At  its 
foot  were  the  springs,  where  we  had  spent 
a  pleasant  day  in  coming  out.  Near  it  were 
the  habitations  of  civilized  men ;  and  it 
overlooked  the  broad  smooth  plains,  which 
promised  us  an  easy  journey  to  our  home. 

The  next  day  we  left  the  river,  which 
continued  its  course  towards  Pike's  Peak  , 
and  taking  a  southeasterly  direction,  in 
about  ten  miles  we  crossed  a  gentle  ridge, 
and,  issuing  from  the  South  Park,  found 
ourselves  involved  among  the  broken  spurs 
of  the  mountains  which  border  the  great 
prairie  plains.  Although  broken  and  ex- 
tremely rugged,  the  country  was  very  inter- 
esting, being  well  watered  by  numerous  af- 
fluents to  the  Arkansas  river,  and  covered 
with  grass  and  a  variety  of  trees.  The 
streams,  which,  in  the  upper  part  of  thotr 
course,  ran  through  grassy  and  open  hol- 
lows, after  a  few  miles  all  descended  into 
deep  and  impracticable  caftons,  through 
which  they  found  taeir  way  to  the  Arkan 
sas  valley.  Her*  the  bufl^alo  trails  we  had 
followed  were  dispersed  among  the  hills,  or 
crossed  over  into  the  more  open  valleys  of 
other  streams. 

During  the  day  our  road  was  fatiguing 
and  difficult,  reminding  us  much,  by  its  steep 
and  rocky  character,  of  our  traveib*(g  fh« 
year  before  among  the  Wind  river  ta^f^u^• 
.tains;  but  always  at  night,  we  found  sfsat 


180 


CAPT.  FREMONTS  NARRATIVE. 


um. 


fnuMy  bottom,  which  afforded  us  a  pleasant 
«amp.  In  the  deep  seclusion  of  these  lit- 
tle streams,  we  found  always  an  abundant 
pasturage,  and  a  wild  luxuriance  of  plants 
and  trees.  Aspens  and  pines  were  the  pre- 
vailing timber ;  on  the  creeks,  oak  was  fre- 
quent ;  but  the  narrow-leaved  cotton-wood, 
(fopulus  angustifolia,)  of  unusually  large 
size,  and  seven  or  eight  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence, was  the  principal  tree.  With  these 
were  mingled  a  variety  of  shrubby  trees, 
which  aided  to  make  the  ravines  almost  im 
penetrable. 

After  several  days^  laborious  travelling, 
we  succeeded  in  extricating  ourselves  from 
the  mountains,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
28th  encamped  immediately  at  their  foot, 
on  a  handsome  tributary  to  the  Arkansas 
river.  In  the  afternoon  wc  descended  the 
Ssream,  winding  our  way  along  the  bottoms, 
which  were  densely  wooded  with  oak,  and 
in  the  evening  encamped  near  the  main 
7?.ver.  Continuing  the  next  day  our  road 
along  the  Ark..nsa8,  and  meeting  on  the 
way  a  war  party  of  Arapahoe  Indians,  (who 
had  recently  been  committing  aome  out- 
rages at  Bent's  fort,  killing  stock  and  dri- 
ving off  horses,)  we  arrived  before  sunset  at 
me  Pueblo,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Fontaine- 
qui-bouit  river,  where  we  had  the  pleasure 
to  find  a  number  of  our  old  acquaintances. 
The  little  settlement  appeared  in  a  thriving 
condition ;  and  in  the  interval  of  our  ab- 
sence another  had  been  established  on  the 
river,  some  thirty  miles  above. 

June  30. — Our  cavalcade  moved  rapidly 
down  the  Arkansas,  along  the  broad  road 
which  follows  the  river,  and  on  the  1st  of 
July  we  arrived  at  Bent's  fort,  about  70 
miles  below  the  mouth  cf  the  Fontaine-qui- 
iouit.  As  we  emerged  into  view  from  the 
^oves  on  the  river,  we  were  saluted  with  a 
oi^lay  of  the  national  flag  and  repeated 
discharges  from  the  guns  of  the  fort,  where 
we  were  received  by  Mr.  George  Bent  with 
a  cordial  welcome  and  a  friendly  hospitality, 
in  the  enjoyment  of  which  we  spent  several 
very  agreeable  days.  We  were  now  in  the 
region  where  our  mountai'>''>,r8  w  :  accuEi- 
temed  to  live  ;  and  all  the  clangers  and  dif- 
ficulties of  the  road  being  considered  past, 
four  of  them,  including  Cvrson  and  Walker, 
remained  at  the  fort. 

On  the  6th  we  resumed  our  journey  down 
tfie  Arkansas,  travelling  along  a  broad  wag- 
on road,  and  encamped  about  twenty  miles 
below  the  fort.  On  the  way  we  met  a  very 
large  village  of  Siou?<  and  Cheyenne  In- 
dianfs  who,  with  the  Arapahoes,  were  re- 
turning from  the  crossing  of  the  Arkansas, 
where  they  had  been  to  meet  the  Kioway 
and  (/amanche  Indians.  A  few  days  previ- 
ous they  had  massacred  a  party  of  fifteen 
Dela wares,  whom  they  had  discovered  in  a 


fort  on  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  losing  ip  jIm 
affair  several  of  their  own  people.  Tlitj 
were  desirous  that  we  should  bear  a  pa^fle 
message  to  the  Delawares  on  the  frontier, 
from  whom  they  expected  retaliation  ;  and 
we  passed  through  them  without  any  diffi- 
culty or  delay.  Dispersed  over  the  plain  in 
scattered  bodies  of  horsemen,  and  family 
groups  of  women  and  children,  with  dog 
trains  carrying  baggage,  and  long  lines  of 
pack  horses,  their  appearance  was  piota- 
resque  and  imposing. 

Agreeably  to  your  instructions,  which  t» 
quired  me  to  complete,  as  far  as  {Hractioa- 
ble,  our  examinations  of  the  Kansas,  I  left 
at  this  encampment  the  Arkansas  river, 
taking  a  northeasterly  direction  across  the 
elevated  dividing  grounds  which  separate 
that  river  from  the  waters  of  the  Platte. 
On  the  7th  we  crossed  a  large  stream,  about 
forty  yards  wide,  and  one  or  two  feet  deep, 
flowing  with  a  lively  current  on  a  sandy 
bed.  The  discolored  and  muddy  appear- 
ance of  the  water  indicated  that  it  proceed- 
ed from  recent  rains  ;  and  we  are  inclined 
to  consider  this  a  branch  of  the  Smoky  Hill 
river,  although,  possibly,  it  may  be  the  Paw- 
nee fork  of  the  Arkansas.  Beyond  thii 
stream  we  travelled  over  high  and  level 
prairies,  halting  at  small  ponds  and  holes  of 
water,  and  using  for  oar  fires  the  bois  de 
vachc,  the  country  being  without  timber. 
On  the  evening  of  the  8th  we  encamped 
in  a  cotton-wood  grove  on  the  banks  of  a 
sandy  stream  bed,  where  there  was  water  in 
holes  sufficient  for  the  camp.  Here  several 
hollows,  or  dry  creeks  with  sandy  beds, 
met  together,  forming  the  head  of  a  stream 
which  afterwards  proved  to  be  the  Smoky 
Hill  fork  of  the  Kansas  river. 

The  next  morning,  as  we  were  leaving 
our  encampment,  a  number  of  Arapahoe  Ib- 
dians  were  di°  .  .ered.  They  belonged  to 
a  war  party  which  had  scattered  over  the 
prairie  in  returning  from  an  expeditioa 
against  the  Pawnees. 

As  we  travelled  down  the  valley,  water 
gathered  rapidly  in  the  sandy  bed  from  ma- 
ny little  tributaries  ;  and  at  evening  it  had 
become  a  handsome  stream,  fifty  to  eighty 
f  in  width,  with  a  lively  current  in  smaU 
channels,  the  water  being  principally  dis- 
persed among  quicksands. 

Gradually  enlarging,  in  a  fev/  days'  march 
it  became  a  river  eighty  yards  in  breadth, 
wooded  with  occasional  groves  of  cottonr 
wood.  Oar  road  was  generally  over  level 
uplands  bordenng  the  river,  which  were 
closely  covered  with  a  sward  of  buffalo 
grass. 

On  the  10th  we  entered  again  the  buffalo 


range, 


where  we  had  found  these  animals 
so  abundant  on  our  outward  journey,  and 
halted  for  a  day  among  numerous  herds,  im 


iMi)] 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


i9l 


er,  iMing  «  ^ 
I  people.  Tliej 
lid  bear  a  panlfie 
on  the  frontier, 
retaliation ;  and 
without  any  diffi- 
over  the  plain  ia 
(nen,  and  family 
ildren,  with  dog 
nd  lonfj;  line*  of 
ance  was  piotS' 

ctions,  which  ra" 

far  as  i»actica- 
he  Kansas,  I  left 
Arkansas  river, 
iction  across  the 

which  separate 

of  the  Platte. 

rge  stream,  about 

or  two  feet  deep, 

rent  on  a  sandy 

muddy  appeai- 
d  that  it  procead- 
1  we  are  inclined 
fthe  Smoky  Hill 

may  be  the  Paw- 
LS.      Beyond  thi?) 

high  and  level 
onds  and  holes  of 

fires  the  bois  de 

without  timber. 
3th  we  encamped 
n  the  banks  of  a 
here  was  water  in 
np.  Here  several 
with  sandy  beds, 
head  of  a  stream 

to  be  the  Smoky 
iver. 

we  were  leaving 
;r  of  Arapahoe  Is- 
They  belonged  to 
cattered  over  tlie 
m   an   expedition 

the  valley,  water 
,ndy  bed  from  ma- 
at  evening  it  had 
im,  fifty  to  eighty 
y  current  in  small 
g  principally  di»- 

a  fev/  days'  march 
yards  in  breadth, 
groves  of  cotton- 
meraily  over  level 
•iver,  which  were 
sward   of  buffalo 

d  again  the  buffate 
ind  these  animals 
ward  journey,  and 
lumerous  herds,  in 


oldM  to  make  a  provision  of  meat  sufficient 
to  earry  as  to  the  frontier. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  we  encamped,  in 
a  pleasant  evening,  on  a  high  river  prairie, 
tke  stream  being  less  than  a  hundred  yards 
broad.  During  the  night  we  had  a  succes- 
sion of  thunder  storms,  with  heavy  and  eon- 
tinuous  rain,  and  towards  morning  the  water 
suddenly  burst  over  the  banks,  flooding  the 
bottoms,  and  becoming  a  large  river,  five  or 
six  hundred  yards  in  breadth.  The  dark- 
ness of  the  night  and  incessant  rain  had 
concealed  from  the  guard  the  rise  of  the 
water ;  and  the  river  broke  into  the  camp 
so  suddenly,  that  the  baggage  was  instantly 
oovered,  and  ail  uur  perishable  collections 
almost  entirely  ruined,  and  the  hard  labor 
of  many  months  destroyed  in  a  moment. 

On  the  i7ih  we  discovered  a  large  village 
of  Indians  encamped  at  the  mouth  of  a 
handsomely  wooded  stream  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  river.  Readily  inferring,  from 
the  nature  of  the  encampment,  that  they 
were  Pawnee  Indians,  and  confidently  ex- 
pecting good  treatment  from  a  people  who 
receive  regularly  an  annuity  from  the  Gov- 
ernment, we  proceeded  directly  to  the  vil- 
lage, where  we  found  assembled  nearly  all 
the  Pawnee  tribe,  who  were  now  reluming 
from  the  crossing  of  the  Arkansas,  where 
they  had  met  the  Kioway  and  Camanchc 
Indians.  We  were  received  by  them  with 
(he  unfriendly  rudeness  and  characteristic 
insolence  which  they  never  fail  to  display 
whenever  they  find  an  occasion  for  doing  so 
with  impunity.  The  little  that  lemained 
•f  our  goods  was  distributed  among  them, 
but  proved  entirely  insufficient  to  satisfy 
their  greedy  rapacity  ;  and,  after  some  de- 
lay, and  considerable  difficulty,  we  succeed- 
ed in  extricating  ourselves  from  the  village, 
and  encamped  on  the  river  about  fifteen 
miles  below.* 

The  country  through  which  we  had  been 
travelling  since  leaving  the  Arkansas  river, 
for  a  distance  of  260  miles,  presented  to  the 
eye  only  a  succession  of  far-stretching  green 
prairies,  covered  with  the  "unbroken  verdure 
of  the  buffalo  grass,  and  sparingly  wooded 
along  the  streams  with  straggling  trees  and 
occasional  groves  of  cotton-wood  ;  but  here 
the  country  began  perceptibly  to  change  its 
character,  becoming  a  more  fertile,  wooded, 
and  beautiful  region,  covered  with  a  profu- 
sion of  grasses,  and  watered  with  innumera- 
ble little  streams,  which  were  wooded  with 
oak,  large  elms,  and  the  usual  va}ieties  of 

*  In  a  recent  report  to  the  depirtment,  from 
Major  Wharton,  who  visited  the  Pawnee  vil- 
lages with  a  military  force  sor  it-  months  after- 
wards, it  is  stated  that  the  Indians  had  intended 
to  attack  our  party  during  the  night  we  remain- 
ed at  this  encampment,  but  were  prevented  by 
th*  interposition  of  the  Pawnee  Loupe. 


timber  common  to  the  lower  course  of  thtf 
Kansas  river. 

As  we  advanced,  the  country  steadily 
improved,  gradually  assimilating  itself  ia 
appearance  to  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
Slate  of  Missouri.  The  beautiful  sward  of 
the  buffalo  grass,  which  is  regarded  as  the 
best  and  most  nutritious  found  on  the  prai- 
ries, appeared  now  only  in  patches,  being 
replaced  by  a  longer  and  coarser  grass^ 
which  covered  the  face  of  the  country  lux- 
uriantly. The  difference  in  the  character 
of  the  grasses  became  suddenly  evident  in  ' 
the  weakened  condition  of  our  animals, 
which  began  sensibly  to  fail  as  soon  as  w« 
quitted  the  buffalo  grass. 

The  river  preserved  a  uniform  breadth 
of  eighty  or  a  hundred  yards,  with  broad 
bottoms  continuously  timbered  with  large 
cotton-wood  trees,  among  which  were  in- 
terspersed a  few  other  varieties. 

While  engaged  in  crossing  one  of  the  nu- 
merous creeks  which  frequently  impeded 
and  chocked  our  way,  sometimes  obliging 
us  to  ascend  them  for  several  miles,  one  of 
the  people  (Alexis  Ayot)  was  shot  through 
the  leg  by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  rifle 
— a  mortifying  and  painful  mischance,  to  be 
crippled  for  life  by  an  accident,  after  having 
nearly  accomplished  in  safety  a  long  and 
eventful  journey.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
remarkably  good  and  cheerful  temper,  and 
had  been  among  the  useful  and  efficient  me> 
of  the  party. 

After  having  travelled  directly  along  ita 
banks  for  two  hundred  and  ninety  miles,  w* 
left  the  river,  where  it  bore  suddenly  off  ia 
a  northwesterly  direction,  towards  its  junc- 
tion with  the  Republican  fork  of  the  Kan- 
sas, distant  about  sixty  miles  ;  and,  continu- 
ing our  easterly  course,  in  about  twenty 
miles  we  entered  the  wagon  road  from  Santa 
Fe  to  Independence,  and  on  the  last  day  of 
July  encamped  again  at  the  little  town  of 
Kansas,  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  river. 

During  our  protracted  absence  of  fourteen 
months,  in  the  course  of  which  we  had  ne- 
cessarily been  exposed  to  great  varieties  of 
weather  and  of  climate,  no  one  case  of  sick- 
ness had  ever  occurred  among  us. 

Here  ended  our  land  journey  ;  and  the 
day  following  our  arrival,  we  found  our- 
selves on  board  a  steamboat  rapidly  gliding 
down  the  broad  Missouri.  Our  travel-worn 
animals  liad  not  been  sold  and  dispersed 
over  the  country  to  renewed  labor,  but  were 
placed  at  good  pasturage  on  the  fronliexi 
and  are  now  ready  to  do  their  part  in  the 
coming  expedition. 

On  the  6th  of  August  we  arrived  at  Sfc. 
Louis,  where  the  party  was  finally  disbanO* 
ed  ;  a  great  number  of  the  men  having  thofcr 
homes  in  the  neighborhood. 

Andreas  Fuentes  also  remained  here,  hav- 


I'  i 


CAPr.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 


liau. 


iag  Ntdily  foond  employment  for  the  win- 
tnr,  and  is  one  of  the  men  engaged  to  ac- 
eompany  me  the  present  year. 

Pablo  Hernandez  remains  in  the  family 
of  Senator  Benton,  where  he  is  well  taken 
•are  of,  and  conciliates  good  will  by  his  do- 
tility,  intelligence,  and  amiability.  General 
Almonte,  the  Mexican  minister  at  Wash- 
ington, to  whom  he  was  of  course  made 
known,  kindly  offered  to  take  charge  of 
kim,  and  to  carry  him  back  to  Mexico ;  but 
tke  boy  preferred  to  remain  where  he  was 
until  he  got  an  education,  for  which  he 
AowB  e4w  ardor  and  aptitude. 

On  CkiBOok  Indian  had  his  wish  to  ■•« 


the  whites  fully  gratified.  He  aoeompanied 
me  to  Washington,  and,  after  remtiuiag 
several  months  at  the  Columbia  college,  was 
sent  by  the  Indian  department  to  Philadel- 
phia, where,  among  other  things,  he  learned 
to  read  and  write  well,  and  speak  the  Eng- 
lish language  with  some  fluency. 

He  will  accompany  me  in  a  few  days  to 
the  frontier  of  Missouri,  whence  he  will  be 
sent  with  some  one  of  the  emigrant  compa> 
nies  to  the  village  at  the  Dalles  of  the  Co- 
lumbia. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servaaL 
J.  C.  FREMONT, 
Bt.  Caft.  Tofi.  Engiimm, 


Mv 


Ma' 


Turn 


"Hi. 


-V, 


Mcompaiiied 
ter  remtiouig 
ia  college,  wu 

to  Philadel- 
iga,  he  learned 
>eak  the  Eng- 
loy. 

few  da^s  to 
nee  he  will  b« 
nigrant  ooiii|m> 
lies  of  the  Co- 

edient  senraoL 
EMONT, 
)p/.  Enginttm. 


CAFT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATITl. 
TABLE  OF  DISTANCB8 

ALONO 

ROAB  nUVELLED  BY  THE  EXPEDITION  IN  1841  AKD 


OUTWARD  JOVRNET. 

From  Kansas  Landing  to  Fort  Vancouver. 


[I 


•>?(• 


!i 

cefrom 
1  landing. 

«  £ 

Date. 

Localities. 

Date. 

•  •g 

LocaUtiMk 

1^ 

^1 

Si 

1843. 

Miles. 

Aft7e«. 

1843. 

Miles. 

Miles. 

May  29 

7 

7 

July  29 

6 

807 

30 

22 

29 

30 

24 

831 

31 

26 

55 

31 

30 

861 

Tune    1 

23 

78 

Aue.  1 

26 

887 

2 

22 

100 

2 

31 

918 

Medicine  Bow  rivw 

3 

23 

123 

3 

26 

944 

4 

18 

141 

4 

18 

962 

North  fork. 

5 

19 

160 

6 

19 

981 

6 

14 

174 

7 

30 

1,011 

7 

8 

182 

8 

29 

1,040 

8 

5 

187 

Junction  of  Smoky 

9 

26 

1,066 

Sweet  Water 

Hill  and  Repub- 

10 

23 

1,089 

lican  forks. 

11 

29 

1,118 

10 

1 

188 

12 

25 

1,143 

11 

24 

212 

13 

^15 

1,1«2 

South  pass. 

13 

28 

240 

1,167 

13 

18 

258 

14 

25 

1,192 

14 

17 

275 

15 

29 

1,221 

Green   rirer,  er  Bb 

16 

21 

296 

Colorado. 

17 

14 

310 

16 

26 

lM^ 

18 

23 

333 

17 

21 

1,268 

19 

18 

351 

18 

32 

1,300 

SO 

26 

377 

19 

28 

1,328 

21 

27 

404 

20 

30 

1,358 

22 

26 

430 

21 

26 

1,384 

23 

26 

456 

22 

37 

1,421 

24 

34 

490 

23 

12 

1,433 

25 

26 

516 

Crossing  of  the  Re- 

24 

22 

1,455 

publican. 

25 

8 

1,463 

Beer  Sgaagk 

26 

24 

540 

26 

21 

1,484 

27 

27 

567 

27 

21 

1,505 

/ft>-.  •'' 

28 

30 

597 

28 

27 

1,532 

.»••■'■    ■ 

29 

21 

618 

29 

17 

1,549 

■'.V' 

30 

26 

644 

South  fork. 

30 

19 

1,568 

Mf    1 

32 

676 

31 

26 

1,594 

■ 

2 

29 

705 

Sept  1 

22 

1,616 

3 

28 

733 

2 

17 

1,633 

4 

18 

751 

St.  Vraio's  fott 

3 

3 

1,636 

Mouth  of  B9Witf«» 

96 

4 

755 

4 

6 

1,642 

27 

26 

781 

5 

27 

1,669 

SB 

90 

801 

6 

26 

1.6i4 

I 


*l* 


CAPT.  FREMONT  S  NAHKATIVE. 
TABI  E  OF  DISTANCES  -Continued. 


if 

If 

travel- 
day. 

If 

Date. 

?« 

S  S            TxtcalitiM          1 

Date. 

11 

LoealitiM. 

a  ^. 

^  § 

S  a 

1- 

H 

1^ 

■ 

1843. 

Milea. 

Milet. 

1843. 

MikK 

StiUa, 

'* 

S«Dt.    8 

20 

1,714 

Shore  of    the   Salt 

Oct.    9 

24 

■2,2bA 

\ 

lake. 

10 

2 

2,256 

Fort  BoM. 

9 

8 

1,722 

Island  in  the  Salt 

11 

20 

2,276 

lake. 

12 

27 

2,303 

10 

28 

1,750 

13 

20 

2,323 

~""      12 

13 

1,763 

14 

22 

2,345 

'    .    •    1 

13 

27 

1,790 

15 

26 

2,371 

14 

24 

1,814 

16 

13 

2,384 

•   f 

16 

19 

1,833 

17 

21 

2,405 

•-^ 

16 

26 

1,859 

18 

20 

2,425 

17 

24 

1,883 

19 

21 

2,446 

18 

23 

1,906 

Fort  Hall. 

20 

12 

2,458 

..^      22 

12 

1,918 

21 

5 

2463 

, 

24 

10 

1,9:^8 

Americaa   falls    on 

22 

10 

2,479 

1 

Lewis'i  fork. 

2i 

18 

2,497 

,    U'  i       •( '-' 

25 

13 

1,941 

25 

18 

2,515 

26 

17 

1,958 

26 

3 

2,518 

Fort   Nei  Pare*, 

27 

20 

1,978 

the  mouth  of  ¥ 

28 

25 

2,003 

lahwalab  rivw 

29 

24 

2,027 

28 

19 

2,537 

1 

30 

26 

2,053 

29 

19 

2,556 

1 

Oct.     1 

16 

2,069 

30 

21 

2,577 

2 

29 

2,C?).i 

31 

26 

2,603 

3 

16 

2,1  i4 

Nov.   1 

23 

2,626 

4 

19 

2,13:. 

S 

19 

2,645 

■ 

5 

2G 

a,i59 

3 

17 

2,662 

6 

22 

2,lbl 

4 

14 

2,676 

Dalles. 

7 

23 

2,204 

6&.7 

90 

2,766 

Fort  Vanoouvar. 

8 

26 

2,230 

t 

Dai 


184 


184 


HOMEWARD  JOURNEY. 

From  the  Dalles  to  the  Missouri  river. 


Date. 

nee  travel- 
each  day. 

S    9 

Localities. 

Date. 

ince  travel- 
each  day. 

h 

LooaliUai. 

^-2 

.a  5 

■Kia 

.^5 

o-" 

Q 

o- 

a 

1843. 

Miles. 

Miles. 

1843. 

Miles. 

Miles. 

Ifov.  25 

12 

12 

Dec.  4 

9 

147 

26 

22 

34 

5 

11 

158 

27 

13 

47 

6 

19 

177 

1 

28 

21 

68 

V          :-. 

7 

25 

202 

29 

21 

89 

-■?'■-              -        ' 

8 

19 

221 

30 

10 

99 

9 

14 

235 

9m.    1 

6 

105 

10 

15 

250 

Tlamatb  lalw. 

a 

11 

116 

12 

5 

255 

s 

33 

138 

13 

12 

267 

fab. 


LooyitlM. 


Mi:«f 


tBoiatf. 


t  Nez  Paie^,  «t 
he  mouth  of  W». 
ahwalab  mm. 


Ues. 

rt  Vancouyar. 


Looalitifli. 


jnatbUk*! 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVB. 
TABLE  OP  DISTANCES— Contiiraed. 


1^ 

1-a 

• 

h 

Data. 

|1 

Looalitiafk 

Date. 

|1 

1- 

h 

a 

liooalitiM 

1843. 

Mile: 

Mile: 

1844. 

Mile: 

Mile: 

]>««  14 

91 

a«8 

Feb.  21 

5 

1,006 

15 

31 

3!l 

22 

3 

1,009 

16 

9 

.•u» 

Summar  laka 

33 

5 

',014 

17 

6 

324 

34 

12 

1,026 

18 

30 

344 

35 

1  » 

1,040 

19 

31 

365 

26 

054 

ao 

36 

391 

Lako  Abatt. 

27 

55 

31 

6 

397 

38 

"> 

82 

29 

426 

Mar     1 

93 

7 

433 

3&3 

i 

24 

13 

446 

Chriatmu  lake. 

4 

i,.  )8 

95 

14 

460 

5 

20 

1,108 

S6 

21 

481 

6 

34 

1,142 

Naeva  Halvatk. 

37 

24 

505 

24 

16 

1,158 

98 

16 

521                                    1 

25 

18 

1,176 

99 

15 

536 

26 

21 

1,197 

90 

17 

553 

27 

42 

1,239 

31 

18 

571 

28 

17 

1,256 

1844. 

29 

8 

1,264 

hn.     1 

20 

591 

April  1 

10 

1,274 

3 

25 

616 

3 

22 

1,296 

3 

7 

623 

4 

18 

U14 

4 

7 

630 

5 

37 

1,351 

5 

2 

632 

6 

15 

1,366 

6 

15 

(47 

Gnat  BoUing  apriiig. 

7 

50 

1,416 

9 

11 

658 

8 

6 

1,422 

10 

10 

668 

9 

31 

1,453 

11 

10 

678 

10 

40 

1,493 

' 

12 

6 

684 

PTramid  laka. 

11 

24 

1,517 

13 

12 

696 

12 

15 

1,5.32 

14 

9 

705 

13 

27 

1,559 

PanittheSiomlfa' 

15 

12 

717 

[ 

Tada. 

16 

18 

735 

14 

32 

1,591 

17 

22 

757 

15 

32 

1,623 

18 

8 

765 

17 

39 

1,662 

19 

18 

783 

18 

3 

1,665 

SO 

5 

788 

19 

15 

1,680 

31 

24 

812 

20 

33 

1,713 

Spanish  traS  ai  Ma 

32 

14 

886 

hahva  thrar. 

33 

95 

851 

'        33 

20 

1,733 

34 

20 

871 

23 

33 

l,7fi6 

35 

25 

896 

24 

8 

1,774 

27 

12 

908 

25 

25 

1,799 

28 

12 

920 

27 

43 

1,842 

29 

7 

927 

28 

12 

1,854 

30 

11 

938 

29 

7 

1,861 

■  1 

31 

26 

964 

30 

24 

1,885 

-- 

fab.    3 

16 

980 

May    1 

15 

i,900 

3 

7 

987 

2 

12 

1,912 

4 

3 

990 

3 

18 

1,930 

7 

4 

994 

4 

57 

1,987 

8 

1 

995 

6 

18 

2,005 

RioVuiM, 

10 

3 

998 

7 

10 

2,015 

M 

S 

1,001 

Smnmitof  UiaSier< 

8 

18 

2,033 

raNarada. 

9 

1 

2,034 

'  i 


; 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


^/ 


A<^ 


z 


1 


z 


1.0 


1.1 


11.25 


liilM    12.5 

■50   "^^     Bi^H 

m  ^    1 2.2 


I 


2.0 


U   116 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


■1? 


v 


<^ 


[\ 


i 


Q> 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MSSO 

(716)  873-4503 


|Va 


? 


V 


A<^ 


<, 


F.<^ 


^ 


is 


CAPT.  FREMONT'S  NARRATIVE. 
TABLE  OF  DISTANCES— Continued. 


Date. 

If 

Localities. 

Date. 

Distance  travel- 
led each  day. 

Is 
U 

Localitiflft 

1844. 

Miles. 

Milea. 

1844. 

Jlfi7e«. 

Milea. 

May  10 

24 

2,058 

June  22 

15 

2,913 

Bayou  Salade,  (floalii 

11 

12 

2,070 

Park.) 

12 

14 

2,084 

Vegas  deBantaClara. 

23 

36 

2,949 

13 

15 

2,099 

24 

21 

2,970 

15 

21 

2,120 

25 

21 

2,991 

16 

17 

2,137 

26 

11 

3,002 

17 

17 

2,154 

27 

10 

3,012 

19 

27 

2,181 

28 

21 

3,033 

20 

22 

2.203 

29 

30 

3,063 

Pueblo,  on  the  AriUMk 

21 

31 

24234 

BUS. 

32 

23 

2,257 

30 

37 

3,100 

23 

12 

2,269 

Sevier  river. 

July    1 

33 

3,133 

Bent's  fort 

24 

23 

2,292 

5 

20 

3,153 

25 

32 

2324 

6 

31 

3,184 

26 

9 

2,333 

Utah  lake. 

7 

31 

3,215 

27 

22 

2,355 

8 

28 

3,243 

Head-water  of  Sn»- 

28 

25 

2,380 

ky  Hill  fork  of  Um 

29 

25 

2,405 

Kansas. 

30 

31 

2,436 

9 

27 

3,270 

31 

16 

2,452 

10 

28 

3,298 

JUM     1 

16 

2,468 

12 

24 

3,322 

3 

8 

2,476 

13 

30 

3,352 

3 

21 

2,497 

Uintah  fort 

15 

10 

3,362 

5 

26 

2,523 

16 

23 

3,385 

6 

15 

2,538 

17 

32 

3,417 

7 

30 

2,568 

Green  rivor,  (Brown's 

18 

24 

3,441 

bole.) 

19 

29 

3,470 

9 

36 

2,604 

20 

29 

3,499 

10 

30 

2,634 

21 

23 

3,522 

11 

30 

2,664 

22 

17 

3,539 

12 

26 

2,690 

23 

26 

3,565 

13 

26 

2,716 

24 

22 

3,587 

14 

23 

2,739 

25 

19 

3,606 

It 

25 

2,764 

New  Park 

26 

24 

3,630 

la 

26 

2,790 

27 

18 

3,648 

IT 

33 

2,823 

Old  Park. 

28 

22 

3,670 

W 

13 

2,836 

29 

12 

3,683 

1« 

16 

2,852 

30 

12 

3,694 

20 

»7 

2,879 

31 

8 

3,702 

Kansas  landi*g 

31 

19 

3,898 

Aug.  1 

7 

3,709 

Missouri  river. 

*% 


LocalitiM^ 


you  Salado,  (floHdl 
Park.) 


leblo,  on  the  Afkaik 

sas. 

snt's  fort 


ead-water  of  Sn»- 
ky  HiU  fork  of  th* 
Kanaaa. 


Caiuas  lancHig 
tlissouri  river. 


